Your stay at a birthing centre or hospital after giving birth will usually be up to 2 days, or 2-5 days if you have had a caesarean. During this time you will have regular visits from your midwife and be supported to care and feed your baby. After the birth you will be tired and busy getting to know your new baby. Most women who have had a normal birth stay in the hospital or birth centre for 48 hours. If you have had a caesarean section, the usual hospital stay is 3-5 days. There may be an option to have your postnatal stay in a primary unit if you have given birth at hospital. Some women choose to go straight home after birth, this is called a planned early discharge. Talk to your midwife about your postnatal stay and make sure your family know what your plan is.

Your midwife will provide weekly home visits from after you give birth to when your baby / pēpi is 4-6 weeks old. Your midwife will provide support, assist with breastfeeding and monitor your baby’s growth and development.

Your midwife will help connect you with a Well Child/Tamariki Ora service once your baby / pēpi is 6 weeks old. Well Child/Tamariki Ora services provide free health checks for your tamariki from 6 weeks old to 5 years. It is also important to register your baby with a local GP for ongoing medical care and to organise immunisations. All babies born in New Zealand are registered with the National Immunisation Register.