The First Six Weeks After Birth

The first weeks after birth matter as much as any visit before it — for your baby, and just as much for you. Your care continues through two planned visits, and a team you can call in between.

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The first-week check

Within days of going home, your midwife checks on feeding, your physical recovery, baby’s weight and jaundice, and how you are coping. Home or clinic visit, where available. No concern is too small — feeding worries in particular are normal, common, and fixable.

The six-week review

This visit is about you: your physical recovery, your emotional wellbeing, contraception if you want it, and your questions about the months ahead. Mood screening is part of every review — feeling low after birth is common and treatable, and telling your team early is the strong move, not the weak one. This visit closes your maternity journey — and our door stays open.

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After birth, call us straight away for:

• Heavy bleeding
• Fever
• A bad headache
• Painful, red breasts
• A wound that looks infected
• Feeling very low, anxious or hopeless

WhatsApp 066 499 2713, anytime. In an emergency, go to your nearest emergency unit.

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Tell us how it went

The six-week review is also where we ask you honestly: what was good, and what was not? Your answer changes how we work — feedback from mothers is how protocols, waiting times and communication actually improve here. If something was wrong, we want to hear it plainly, and if something was right, telling us protects it for the next mother.

Your feedback is not a courtesy — it is how this service improves. If anything about your care is not right, tell us straight away: your team first, or WhatsApp 066 499 2713. A named person takes ownership of your concern, and our target is a same-day response. Compliments help too — they tell us what to protect.

Track it

If you used the pregnancy companion during pregnancy, add your baby’s birth date and it re-anchors your after-birth checks to the actual date — so you know exactly when each one is due.

Version 1.1, updated 2026-07-13. This guide is education, not a diagnosis. If you are worried, talk to us or to your own doctor.