If you are discharged 1 day after vaginal delivery or 2 days after cesarean section, a member of the Maternal Child Health team will contact you to schedule your home visit the next day.

Maternal Child Health nurses have specialized training in postpartum care and lactation support. A registered nurse will come to your home and perform a head-to-toe assessment like the postpartum evaluation you receive in the hospital. The nurse will explain some of the body changes you may expect over the next several weeks and months and answer any questions you may have.

After your exam, it’s your baby’s turn. The nurse will weigh your baby, listen to your baby’s heart, check the umbilical cord, assess your baby for jaundice (a yellowing of the skin), and answer any questions about newborn care.

After both assessments are completed, your nurse will review instructions on how best to care for yourself and your baby. As a certified lactation consultant, she will provide personalized guidance and answer any questions you have about breastfeeding, and she can help you navigate any difficulties you experience.

If you and your provider have determined a home visit is right for you, but you have not received a call from our department by 3:30 p.m. ET on the day of discharge, please call 770-496-3409. This line is checked and calls are returned Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.

If it is after hours or on the weekend, please call the Kaiser Permanente Health Line at 404-365-0966 to speak with an advice nurse. Let them know that you should have a home visit ordered but have not yet heard from the nurse.

If your stay in the hospital is 1 to 2 days after you give birth, it is especially important that we see your baby within 1 to 5 days of leaving the hospital for his or her first pediatrics appointment.

At this visit, your baby will be evaluated for weight gain, newborn jaundice, and success with breastfeeding. Your baby’s doctor can answer your questions about breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, newborn care, and other concerns you may have. He or she can also address signs and symptoms of illness and when to call us.

We’ll want to see you for a postpartum check-up a week after your baby is born, then again at 4 to 6 weeks to see how you are doing. You may have a pelvic exam to make sure that you are healing well. If you had a C-section, we’ll check your incision. We’ll also talk with you about birth control, find out how you’re doing with breastfeeding, and check in to see how you’re feeling.

Now is a good time for you to ask questions. We know you’ll have some — so make a list and bring it with you. New moms usually ask us about:

• breastfeeding and breast changes
• losing pregnancy weight
• exercise options
• healthy eating for breastfeeding moms
• sex and birth control
• feelings of sadness or restlessness

All new moms need a postpartum appointment with their own doctor or nurse practitioner within 6 weeks of giving birth.

It’s important to go to this appointment, even if you’re feeling fine.

At this visit, we will:

• check to see that you’re healing properly.
• discuss your recovery including your emotional health.
• talk about your birth control options.

This visit also gives you the chance to discuss questions or concerns.

Scheduling your appointment

We may have helped you schedule this appointment before you left the hospital. If so, you should receive an appointment reminder.

If you don’t already have an appointment, you can schedule one online or call our Appointment and Advice Line at 404-365-0966.