What postnatal support can I access in Northern Ireland?
What is postnatal support?
The postnatal (or postpartum) period is traditionally defined as the six weeks after giving birth. It’s a period of recovery from the birth and great adjustment to parenthood. It can be really hard for new parents to navigate.
This blog post looks primarily at the postnatal support you can access in Northern Ireland in the weeks after your baby is born. If you are in the UK, then much of the information will still be relevant. For the most part, women in Northern Ireland do have access to good quality support after they give birth. However, for a lot of mums, the NHS services may not be enough.
I recently polled my Instagram page and over half (58%) of the mums who follow me said they used non-NHS services after their baby was born. But are you aware of what exactly is available to you? If you are struggling, or you’re not sure what help is available, then read on.
NHS Postnatal Care
Midwives
Once you are discharged from hospital, your postnatal care will be taken over by your community midwives. You may have met them already during your pregnancy if you attended community clinics. The hospital midwives will let your community midwives know when you are discharged, so you don’t need to arrange this.
Your community midwives will check both you and your baby on the days that they see you. They will ask how you are feeling generally, any pain that you are experiencing in your breasts, or wounds. They will also check to make sure that you are peeing and pooing ok. Your midwife may ask to see any perineal stitches, or your caesarean section wound. If you haven’t had a caesarean section, they may also feel your tummy to make sure that your uterus is firm and getting smaller day by day. If you are breastfeeding, they will ask you how it is going, and give you some advice and support.
The midwives will also give your baby a head to toe check on the days that they visit. They will check your baby’s eyes, mouth and cord for any signs of infection. It is important to make sure that your baby is getting enough milk, whether they are breastfeeding or bottlefeeding. Therefore, your community midwife will also ask about frequency of feeds, and volumes if you’re bottlefeeding, as well as how often your baby has wet and dirty nappies. Your midwife will also weigh your baby at some visits, but not usually every time they visit.
How many midwife visits after the birth?
As a minimum, community midwives will do a postnatal check on the following days:
- The day after you are discharged from hospital. So, for example, if you are discharged from hospital on a Monday, they will call at your home on the Tuesday. Some areas also provide a clinic for mums to attend, rather than having home visits.
- Day 5. In addition to the normal daily checks, you will be offered a “heel prick test” which screens for nine different conditions. If spotted early, this means that the risk of complications from these illnesses will be minimized. You can read more about the illness screened for here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/newborn-screening/blood-spot-test/
- Day 10. Midwives have a statutory duty to visit postnatal women for a minimum of 10 days, so will usually visit you on day 10 or 11. If your baby is back up to their birthweight, their cord has fallen off, and you are otherwise well with no ongoing complications, then they may discharge you from community midwifery care at this point.
Community midwifery visits are not limited to these three days. Often, they will call on other days too, and can extend their support for up to 28 days after you’ve had your baby. They will call more often if you need more postnatal support. So, for example, if you need help with breastfeeding, if your baby is jaundiced, or you become unwell (eg need antibiotics for an infection, or you have high blood pressure). When I was a student midwife over 20 years ago, we used to visit mums every day until day 10, and then keep in touch until day 28! No doubt, some women really appreciated the extra support, but other mums may have found it was a nuisance, especially if it was their second or third baby.
Health Visitors
Health Visitors are specially trained nurses who work closely with your GP practice. Your health visitor may have been in touch during your pregnancy to introduce themselves. They usually see you for the first time between day 10 and day 14. During this visit, they will check to see how you are doing, as well as carry out some measurements on your baby. Usually they call again when your baby is around six weeks old. They then offer a regular schedule of assessments until your child starts school. While their focus is primarily your baby, they will also screen for postnatal depression and offer practical support and advice. Much like the community midwives, they can visit more often and offer more support if you need it.
GP
Your GP can see your baby at any stage once you are home, provided you yourself are registered with them. You will need to register your baby with your GP at some point. However, GP practices realize that this process takes a bit of time as your first need to register your baby’s birth and get a birth certificate. The hospital will have sent a summary of your birth to your GP, therefore they are aware that you have had a baby. If your baby needs to be seen by a GP before you have had a chance to register your baby with your GP practice, then they will still see your baby, and offer the appropriate care.
Traditionally, women used to have a six week postnatal check with the GP. Since the pandemic, this doesn’t seem to happen very often any more, or isn’t offered in a consistent manner across all practices. However, it is worth remembering that your GP is available if you are struggling with any issue following the birth. In my experience, they are very good about seeing new mums quite quickly. Your GP routinely sees your baby at 8 weeks for a check up and vaccinations. Sometimes they will ask you some questions about yourself too. However, if you do feel you need a six week check, it is ok to ask for one.
Hospital clinics
Occasionally, you will need additional support after the birth. You may be referred back to the hospital in the weeks following the birth, if either you or your baby had complications.
Physiotherapist
Ideally, this would be offered as standard to all postnatal mums, but sadly it isn’t. However, many GP practices now offer a self-referral service for physiotherapy. There may be a bit of a waiting list, but most mums really do benefit from a physical check up from a physiotherapist after the birth. If you have had a complicated birth, such as a 3rd degree tear, then this referral should be made automatically.
Breastfeeding Support
If you are breastfeeding you should be given information about your local breastfeeding support group. This may be one run by staff from your health care trust – there may be a maternity support worker or health visitor who attends regularly. If you are in Northern Ireland, you can use this map to find your local breastfeeding support group.
Most trusts also have a system of breastfeeding peer support. These women aren’t health care professionals, but they have breastfed their own babies, and have had additional training from the health care trusts to provide breastfeeding support. You can request support from your local trust, and you can find the details for Northern Ireland here: https://www.breastfedbabies.org/getting-support-when-you-breastfeed
SureStart
If you live in a socially disadvantaged area, you may be eligible to attend a Sure Start group. They offer regular breastfeeding support groups, as well as provide additional health and care support. You can find your local group in Northern Ireland here: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/sure-start-partnerships
Homestart
If you are struggling with your family circumstances, you could also be eligible for Homestart. Perhaps you’ve given birth to twins or triplets, are experiencing mental health issues, financial struggles, or a relationship breakdown. A trained volunteer would be sent to your home to give you respite care, or practical support. You do need to be referred by your Health Visitor, GP or other professional. You can find out more about Home Start here: https://www.home-start.org.uk/pages/category/home-start-northern-ireland
Private services
So, the first thing to say is that you may not need to pay for any extra support. In many cases, the support offered by the NHS systems is really good. If you had a straight forward birth and you have good family support, you may find that you and your baby are fine, and that you don’t need anything extra. However, if you are struggling, then you may wish to consider some extra support. If you have private health insurance, it may also be worth checking to see if they will cover the cost of private postnatal support.
Why should I pay for private postnatal support after my baby is born?
In an ideal world, you would get everything you need on the NHS. However, you may feel like you need some extra help and support with your baby. It is certainly not a failure on your part if you feel like you need extra support! Traditionally, and in many countries around the world, women are given a lot of care and attention from their families following the birth. In our fragmented societies, many new parents are on their own, and can really benefit from some outside help. The old adage of “it takes a village to raise a child” is so true. Unfortunately in the West, we sometimes need to pay for the village!
Lactation consultant
Lactation consultants are breastfeeding specialists. Ideally, look for the title IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). This is a protected title and can only be used by lactation consultants who have undertaken extensive and specific training. Many IBCLC’s have a health care background. Those who don’t come from a health care background have had to do additional health care studies as part of their IBCLC training.
IBCLC’s can often offer tailor-made solutions that your midwife or health visitor may not be aware of. Additionally, most consultations last at least an hour, so your IBCLC has the luxury of taking a full history, and really focusing on feeding support. Most will also come to your home as well. Some of the health care trusts do have midwives who are also IBCLC’s, so you may be able to access support through your maternity unit. If you prefer a private consultation, the IBCLC’s offering one to one consultations in Northern Ireland are: Rebecca Scott-Pillai (Lisburn), Carol Smyth (Ballyclare), Marina Ferrari (Belfast) and Alicia Lappin (Portadown).
You can also find details of other IBCLC’s in your area on the following websites:
Ireland: https://alcireland.ie/findalactationconsultant
UK: https://lcgb.org/find-an-ibclc/
Worldwide: https://ilca.org/why-ibclc-falc/
Newborn support
It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed when you have a newborn baby. Perhaps you feel like you are struggling with understanding your baby, or you’d like some practical support around feeds, sleep, reflux, or fussy fussy behaviour. If so, you may be interested in a newborn consultation with Rebecca Scott-Pillai. This is a bespoke consultation which takes into account many of the concerns that new parents have. It is designed to leave them feeling confident, with a clear plan for moving forward. You can find out more about this consultation here: Support with newborn baby: feeding, sleep, crying, reflux, colic
Doula
A postnatal doula can be an excellent source of support after you’ve had a baby. While many mums are aware of doulas in relation to pregnancy and birth, doulas can also offer valuable postnatal support. They offer a non-judgemental service, where they don’t offer advice but merely a helping hand. A postnatal doula can help you with breastfeeding, light housework, baby care and will often bring nourishing, delicious meals for you as well. Some doulas will also offer a “Closing the bones” ceremony, which is a traditional practice to celebrate the transition to motherhood. One Belfast doula, Nicola Jayne, has written about postnatal support here: https://www.doulaofbelfast.co.uk/services-packages-new/services-packages/postnatal-services/
Maternity nurses
Maternity nurses are not medically trained nurses, but have received vocational training to provide postnatal care. They can help with baby care and usually provide an overnight service too. At the time of writing this article, there didn’t seem to be any maternity nurses available in Northern Ireland. However, Oonagh Kelly (a midwife) does offer a similar service: https://www.oonagh-kelly.com/service-page/oh-baby
Nannies
Nannies can be either trained or untrained, and their pay scale will reflect the degree of training they have received. Nannies traditionally care for babies and children only, so they would not undertake housework and meal prep for the family. So, for example, they may prepare formula bottles or feed babies bottles of pumped milk, carry out washing and sterilizing of baby equipment, and wash baby clothes. However, they would not do regular laundry, empty the dishwasher or sweep the floors. Some mothers also opt to employ a nanny to care for older children and/or school runs. In Northern Ireland, there appears to be two relevant nanny services: Baby Guru NI and Tiny Toes Nanny and Babysitting Agency.
Mother’s Help
A mother’s help is usually someone who is employed to help around the house after a baby is born. They can do light house work and laundry, and will help with the practical tasks so that you have more time to look after your baby. You may have to advertise for a mother’s help, through a website such as childcare.co.uk.
Physiotherapy
You may wish to invest in a “Mum MOT” with a physiotherapist after the birth. They can give you personalized advice around issues such as poor pelvic floor control and diastasis recti (where the tummy muscles stay separated after the birth). Alternatively, you may also want to avail of a postnatal massage – similar to a sports massage! There are some physiotherapists in Northern Ireland who specialize in women’s health. These include: https://sallylavertyphysiotherapy.co.uk/mummy-mot, Mother & Baby Clinic, https://www.thepowerhousenewry.com/services/ and Physiofem.
Bodywork
Some mums also find that having “bodywork” after giving birth can be really beneficial. This may be some stretching and massage, or gentle manipulation of bones, fascia and ligaments. Some parents also find that bodywork can be very helpful for their babies too, especially if they have had a difficult birth, or they have feeding issues. You can choose from osteopaths, craniosacral therapists and chiropractors. Nicole Schlogel, who specializes in pregnancy and postnatal support, offers fantastic packages here: https://www.essentiallybirth.com/. An Osteopath I work with closely in my breastfeeding practice is Sarah Nino, based in Moira Osteopathy.
Private GP
You can also access private GP care if you feel you need it. There are several clinics set up around Northern Ireland. You can find your closest one with a quick Google search.
Therapy
Unfortunately, some mums do experience a traumatic birth. While often the intense feelings around a birth subside with time, for a significant number of women the trauma remains strong enough that it interferes significantly with postnatal recovery. It is always worth chatting to your GP first, but unfortunately, the NHS waiting list for therapy is quite long. Some women opt for private counselling instead. Private cognitive behaviour therapy can be beneficial, especially if you can find someone who offers trauma informed CBT. Afterthoughts is a counselling service offered by Anne-Marie McKinley, who is a trained counsellor and midwife. Carol Smyth offers CBT for postnatal mums too: https://www.carolsmyth.co.uk/mental-health/
Tongue tie
Currently, there is excellent provision of tongue tie assessment and frenotomy in Northern Ireland, with most trusts offering a midwife-led clinic. However, should you wish to access this service privately there are a few dentists in northern Ireland who will provide a frenotomy for your baby. If you are struggling with breastfeeding, it would be worth getting some skilled support first from a lactation consultant. You may need a referral from your GP, Health Visitor or lactation consultant. These include: Curran Oral Surgery Clinic – Referral only. practice, Cliffgar Dental | Dental Surgery Banbridge, Northern Ireland, Alexander Dental Practice
One final note:
There may be other services that new parents also find helpful. Voluntary organizations such as La Leche League, The Parent Rooms and Birthwise all offer fantastic group support for new parents.
This article is correct as of the 28th January, 2025. Should you offer a service for new parents and would like to be included, please feel free to get in touch. Also, should you find that any of the links are broken, or the services are unavailable, please let me so know so that I can keep this article current and updated.
