What Happens After You Leave the Birth Center? 4 Ways the Magnolia Team Continues to Care for You
After you do the hard work of labor and birth, you’ll be thrilled to meet your baby. We know this is a special time with your newborn, and it’s filled with lots of joyful memories that you’ll cherish forever.
About two to four hours after birth, as long as you and your baby are healthy and stable, you both will be discharged from the birth center. We know how special going-home day is, but it also tends to prompt the question: What happens next?
As you settle in at home, you’ll be recovering from delivery and learning how to care for your baby. Although your pregnancy has ended, our staff at Magnolia is available to help! In this blog, we’ll discuss four important ways our team will continue supporting you and your little one.
Postpartum Care
After your baby’s birth, we will schedule your first postpartum visit, which takes place in your home 24-72 hours after birth if your baby was born at home or at the birth center. If a transfer was necessary and your baby was born in a hospital, your first postpartum visit will be within the first 7-10 days. The midwife-on-call will reach out to you in the appropriate window to schedule a day and time that’s convenient for you.
If you’re experiencing any problems, you may request a second postpartum appointment at 3-5 days or 7-10 days. Otherwise, our standard postpartum schedule includes a three-week virtual visit. Then, the final postpartum appointment occurs 6-8 weeks postpartum in the office.
All postpartum visits involve: Assessing your health and well-being, checking your and your baby’s vitals, supporting the breastfeeding relationship, and discussing anything that will help you through the transition to parenthood.
Birth Certificate
If your baby was born at home or at Magnolia, you should have already completed a birth certificate worksheet. The birth certificate will be filed within the first five days after your birth. We will be sending you the live birth review sheet within 24 hours or so after discharge to review for accuracy, and then we will submit it to the state.
Once we draft your birth certificate, you should keep an eye out for an email from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, which will explain how you can purchase a copy of the birth certificate. If you do not see the automated message in your inbox in several days, check your spam and junk mail folders. If you still do not see the automated message, you may contact the Florida Department of Health or visit their website.
Lactation Help
As a Magnolia client, you will have the option of meeting with one of our breastfeeding educators. Our trained staff can guide you as you learn to breastfeed and provide you with the help you need to make nursing a positive experience for you and your newborn.
“We understand the emotional changes and newness this journey can bring.”
Our primary educator is LaDereka Carter, and her contact information will be in your discharge paperwork. If, after this initial visit with our lactation educator, you find yourself still having trouble nursing or if you are experiencing pain, contact the Magnolia front desk, and we will provide you with further assistance and/or resources.
Support Group
Regardless of how prepared you are for your little one or how much you looked forward to pregnancy and your baby's birth, those first few weeks (or months) after birth may include some unexpected highs and lows. This is not only common but normal. Hormonal shifts and new routines can bring various feelings and emotions.
In partnership with our sister company The Gathering Place, our postpartum moms group called Footsteps, meets weekly on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The group has grown substantially since its inception many years ago. It’s facilitated by a trained therapist and operates under a peer support model. What makes this support group exceptional is that parents can gather in a supportive environment for free and just be who they are in that moment. Babies in arms are always welcome.
Continuing Your Care at Magnolia — Miami’s Premier Natural Birthing Center
We understand the excitement of this special time, and we are so happy you chose Magnolia as you navigated the childbearing process. We also understand the emotional changes and newness this journey can bring.
Here at Magnolia, we want to help support you every step of the way. That includes providing you with as much information as possible beforehand, so you can prepare and plan through all phases of this miraculous time. We are dedicated to your health and wellness and that of your baby’s, too. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to us by filling out our form or calling the front desk at 785-953-6534.
