Checks
Your 6 to 8 week postnatal check: what to expect
What happens at your own 6 to 8 week postnatal check with a GP, what to mention, how it differs from your baby's check, and what to do if you haven't been offered one.
Guides
Postpartum guides
Short, practical guides for the first two years after birth. Every guide shows where its information comes from, and when we last checked it.
When to get help straight away
Call 999 if you've got postnatal bleeding and:
- the bleeding is sudden and very heavy
- you feel faint, dizzy or have a pounding heart
If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, you don't have to cope alone. Call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, or call 999 if you're in immediate danger. For urgent help, call 111 and select the mental health option. 111 will tell you the right place to get help. You may be able to speak to a trained mental health professional over the phone.
Worried about your baby? Call NHS 111 if you're worried about any of your child's symptoms or do not know what to do. The NHS lists when to call 999 or go to A&E.
Sources: NHS, Early days (reviewed 27 January 2026); NHS, Where to get urgent help for mental health; NHS, When to get urgent medical help for babies and children under 5 (reviewed 6 August 2026). Last checked September 2026.
Feelings
Baby blues or postnatal depression? When to get help
How the baby blues differ from postnatal depression, the signs the NHS lists, who to talk to, and when to get urgent help for postpartum psychosis.
Money
Money and time off after having a baby: what you can claim
Maternity pay, Maternity Allowance, Child Benefit, grants, Healthy Start and free prescriptions after having a baby: 2026/27 rates, deadlines and how to claim.
How we write our guides
- Built on published sources, such as the NHS, NICE and GOV.UK. Every guide lists them.
- Dated. Each guide says when we last checked it, and when we'll check it next.
- Plain English, with one clear next step.
- Independent. No clinic, provider or brand pays to appear here, and we don't take referral fees.
Our guides give general information. They aren't medical advice.
ThisWay-Postpartum is coming
It'll map your first two years, week by week: who to call, what's common and what you're entitled to.