Editing Midwifery (section)

===Postpartum period===
{{Main|Postpartum period}}

For women who have a hospital birth, the minimum hospital stay is six hours. Women who leave before this do so against medical advice. Women may choose when to leave the hospital. Full postnatal assessments are conducted daily whilst inpatient, or more frequently if needed. A postnatal assessment includes the woman's observations, general well-being, breasts (either a discussion and assistance with breastfeeding or a discussion about lactation suppression), abdominal palpation (if she has not had a caesarean section) to check for involution of the uterus, or a check of her caesarean wound (the dressing does not need to be removed for this), a check of her perineum, particularly if she tore or had stitches, reviewing her lochia, ensuring she has passed urine and had her bowels open and checking for signs and symptoms of a DVT. The baby is also checked for jaundice, signs of adequate feeding, or other concerns. The baby has a nursery exam between six and seventy two hours of birth to check for conditions such as heart defects, hip problems, or eye problems.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2022-01-18 |title=Normal and Abnormal Puerperium: Overview, Routine Postpartum Care, Hemorrhage |url=https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/260187-overview |access-date=2022-10-05 |archive-date=2017-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109022920/https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/260187-overview |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the community, the community midwife sees the woman at least until day ten. This does not mean she sees the woman and baby daily, but she cannot discharge them from her care until day ten at the earliest. Postnatal checks include neonatal screening test (NST, or heel prick test) around day five. The baby is weighed and the midwife plans visits according to the health and needs of mother and baby. They are discharged to the care of the health visitor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Episiotomy: When it's needed, when it's not - Mayo Clinic |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/episiotomy/art-20047282?p=1 |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=www.mayoclinic.org |archive-date=2022-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005171440/https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/episiotomy/art-20047282?p=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>