Postpartum Care
We will see you, your partner and your baby for a one-week and six-week postpartum visit before you return to your family doctor for ongoing care.
Supporting Your Family
Physical Health
Going home with your baby is an exciting and scary time. You can expect to be in the hospital for about 24-48 hours. We always want to ensure you and baby are recovering well, a good feeding plan is in place and you are your partner are comfortable with going home. After going home a specialized nurse from one of Calgary’s public health unit’s will contact you and plan a visit with the family within 24-72 hours of going home. This visit is to make everyone is settling in well at home.
Your first postpartum visit at the clinic will be between 3 and 7 days of going home from the hospital. We will remind you to call and book an appointment, as always, if you’re uncertain or concerned, please come and see us sooner. It is important to us to make sure you and your family are settling in well to your new life both mentally and physically.
Mental Health
All of these changes in combination with fatigue can lead to a great deal of emotions for both you and your partner. “Baby blues” are very common in the early postpartum period. For some couples, these emotions may deepen and become more challenging to manage, having feelings of sadness, guilt and anxiety. Our team is here to support you if you are experiencing these symptoms. Our behavioural health consultant Sarah Doruch provides counselling for patients at our clinic and is an excellent resource.
Breast Feeding
Settling into a feeding routine for your baby can take time and be challenging. Most important to us is identifying what your goals are in feeding your baby. We want to support breastfeeding for all newborns provided that this is in line with your goals and what’s best for the two of you. We are extremely fortunate that our prenatal nurse Jerrai Dais is a certified lactation nurse. She and our team of doctors are excellent resources and able to provide you with ongoing consultation to support your feeding plan.
There truly is a lot to think about during the postpartum period, and layered with fatigue it can often feel like you’re forgetting something! Our goal is to provide you with the emotional guidance and physical support during this exciting new time.
Take a look at some of the links we have included below for more information on the postpartum time for you, your partner and baby.
