What to expect at your PHN visits with a new baby

The Public Health Nurse, your PHN, is one of the most useful people you'll meet in the first year. They're free, they come to your home for the first visit, and they'll answer questions a Google search will never satisfy. Here's a plain guide to what to expect.

When the PHN visits

Your PHN will:

• Visit at home within 72 hours of you being discharged from hospital, usually around day 10 in practice
• See you and the baby again at 3 months, sometimes at the local clinic, sometimes at home
• See you again at 9 to 11 months
• Provide weight checks and developmental reviews in between if needed

You'll also see her, or him (male PHNs exist, just rarely encountered), at developmental checks at the local clinic.

The first visit, usually around day 10

This is the longest one, usually 60 to 90 minutes. They'll:

• Weigh the baby
• Check the umbilical stump
• Talk through feeding, especially if you're breastfeeding
• Check on you (how you're sleeping, how you're feeling, any tears that aren't healing)
• Hand you the vitamin D drops if hospital hasn't already
• Talk through the vaccine schedule
• Leave you a folder, a number, and the words "ring me if you're worried"

It's worth saying: they're checking on you too, not just the baby. If you're struggling, this is the time to say it. Postnatal mental health is part of the visit, and you'll never get a better-trained sympathetic ear in your kitchen.

The 3-month check

By now you'll probably be at the clinic rather than home. They'll:

• Weigh the baby
• Look at general development (smiling, head control, response to sound)
• Check immunisation status
• Ask about feeding patterns and sleep
• Give weaning advice as you approach 4 to 6 months

The 9 to 11 month check

• Weighing and measuring
• Developmental check (sitting, babbling, finger food handling)
• Hearing check
• Talking about toddler feeding, sleep changes, the transition to family food

What to have ready (without overthinking it)

You don't need to prepare a presentation. A few things help:

• A nappy bag and a clean change, in case
• Bottle or breast access for if baby gets hungry
• A list of any questions or concerns, because most parents forget half of them otherwise
• Your baby's red folder if it's an at-clinic visit
• Sleeping baby? Don't wake them. They can usually weigh during a sleep.

The questions parents always wish they had asked

A short list. None of these are silly. PHNs have heard all of them.

• Is what I'm seeing normal?
• How do I know if reflux is bad enough to do something?
• When should I start weaning?
• Why is my baby waking up more than they were three weeks ago?
• What's the actual difference between cradle cap and eczema?

A note on writing things down

This is where most parents struggle. You're at home at 2am wondering if a certain sleep pattern is worth mentioning. By the next appointment, you've completely forgotten.

Lullagram lets you flag concerns as they happen, and they sit in your healthcare report ready for the next visit. The full report (feeds, sleeps, nappies, weights, anything you've flagged) is one tap to print or email.

A lot of PHNs love seeing it. You stop sounding vague ("she's been waking more, I think") and start sounding specific ("she's woken 4 times average for the last 8 nights, up from 2"). The advice you get back is better as a result.

For the full HSE timetable of what your PHN will check at each visit, see the HSE 0 to 6 months health checks page and the 6 to 12 months page.