Postnatal care for your baby

Information

Under the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme (the scheme that provides free antenatal and postnatal care in Ireland), mother and baby are entitled to two visits to your family doctor (GP) after the baby is born. The first visit is when the baby is two weeks old, and the second is at six weeks.

The visit at two weeks is primarily to re-establish contact with your GP and to see how the mother and baby are getting on. The more widely known visit is referred to as the "six-week check". You can either go to your GP or your maternity hospital for this. The GP or the hospital paediatrician will examine your baby to check his/her development. They will check the baby's weight, length, head circumference and hips. They will discuss the baby's feeding patterns and general health with you, and address any concerns you might have.

Thereafter, your points of contact with the healthcare system will be via your GP, who will immunise your baby, and your public health nurse, who will visit you at home.