Please note that some of these contacts have been moved to telephone/ remote contacts in light of the coronavirus outbreak.You can see the services
available by video appointment here. You can also find out more about how our services are changing in response here.
Antenatal contact
As well as your appointments with your midwife, a health visitor will contact you during your pregnancy (between 28-36 weeks) and will usually visit you at home. Your health visitor will discuss some of the following information with you:
- Introduce Health Visiting service
- Bonding with your baby
- Your babies brain development
- Mental health and your feelings/emotions
- Feeding your baby
- Preparing for the arrival of your baby
- ‘Healthy Start Programme’ and your eligibility
- Your physical health
- Parental relationships
- Promotion of immunisation programme
- Preparing for parenthood
New birth review
When your baby is between 10 and 21 days old your health visitor will see you in clinic or at home.
This contact will include:
- Discussion about your labour and birth
- Advice and support with feeding your baby
- Coping with a new baby
- Safety and your baby to include reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (embed http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sudden-infant-death-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx)
- Mental health and your feelings/emotions
- Observation of baby to include weight and head circumference
- Your babies brain development
- Immunisation programme
Six to ten week review
You will discuss:
- Parenting support to include crying, sleeping, feeding and safety
- Development review of your baby
- Immunisation programme
- Information on local services
- Your feelings and emotions, including adjusting to parenthood
Three month review
At three months baby is truly not a new-born anymore and has completed the first quarter of his/her first year of life and will now be experiencing lots of changes including starting to become a lot more interested in their surroundings. With this, parents may like some re-assurance, guidance, and advice about the development of their baby – and this is where our team can help. The three month baby check will focus on the baby’s development, and cover topics including:
- introducing solids foods
- feeding
- safe sleep
- socialising and playing
- comforting your Baby
- Immunisations.
The Parent/Carer mental health review will give the team an insight into the parent/carers mental health and suggest places where they can access support if and when they need it.
Full details, including date, time and venue of this face-to-face appointment will be sent to parents/carers by letter around the time baby reaches three months.
Three year review
The three year review will involve a community nursery nurse, parents, child and if your child spends time in a nursery, pre-school, or with a child minder, they will also be involved.
You will be given a questionnaire to complete to help assess your child’s development prior to the review. Please also remember to bring your child's red book. The review will include:
- Discussions in regards to any concerns you may have with your child
- Review of your child’s health and development
- Review and promotion of your child’s language development
- Guidance on managing your child’s behaviour
- Advice on healthy eating and physical activity
- Promotion of immunisations
- Advice and support with dental care, looking after your children’s teeth, accident prevention, sleeping and potty training.
- Information on early years education
- Your child will be weighed and measured.