After giving birth

Following birth on the Birth Centre

Immediately after your birth, you and your baby will be made comfortable in the Birth centre. Your midwife will examine baby, place two labels on baby�s ankles, support with establishing feeding, and will give you space to enjoy your first moments together.

If there are no complications, most women tend to stay between six and eight hours after the birth before going home. If you have had a more complicated birth you may move to Cellier Ward, our postnatal ward, where you will stay with us between 24 and 48 hours.

Following birth on Labour Ward

Immediately after your birth, you and your baby will be made comfortable in your Labour Ward room, or in the Recovery area if you have had a caesarean. Your midwife will examine baby, place two labels on baby�s ankles, support with establishing feeding, and will give you space to enjoy your first moments together. Once you are ready, you and baby will transfer to the postnatal ward, where you will receive additional support to enhance your recovery.

Baby tagging

The safety of you and your baby is very important us so we have now implemented a security tagging system in hospital where all newborns will have a security tag placed around their ankle at birth. Please inform a member of staff if these become loose or fall off as they will need to be replaced.

The length of your stay will depend on the type of birth you have had and how you and baby are recovering. We will discuss with you if you and/or your baby need a longer stay and explain why.

At Whittington Health, your chosen birth partner, whether they are your significant other, mother, sister or friend, can stay with you throughout your stay, to support and help you.

Following birth at home

If you have your baby at home, your midwives will make sure you and baby are happy and comfortable before they leave. They will do checks to ensure you are well and support with feeding baby before they go.

Additional care in the weeks after birth

Community midwives will provide you with lots of additional support in the days after baby is born. This will happen either at home, or in a postnatal clinic near to where you live. You will normally receive a home visit by a member of the team the day after you have arrived home.