The physical examination
The following is a general guide as to what may be involved with a routine postnatal check. The visit will typically take about 30 minutes to one hour to complete. This will depend on what needs to be done and what you (or your caregiver) want to discuss. The first part will look at the questions you may be asked, or what may be discussed at the visit. The second part will step you through the physical examination and any tests.
Details of your health, labour, birth and recovery clarified. Your caregiver will normally want to try and get a clear picture of your health and pregnancy history, what happened with the labour and birth, your postnatal recovery and any interventions, treatments or medications that were needed. They may use written records to clarify these details with you.
The written records may be their own records (if you have a private caregiver), or the hospital records (if you go back to the hospital). They may have a short summary letter provided by your caregiver or the hospital. If no written records are available, the caregiver will just rely on you telling them any the relevant details.
This can be a good time to ask questions about the labour, birth or recovery period for yourself. You may want to clarify events (for example, "How long was I pushing for?"), or you may be seeking answers as to why things were done, or why interventions were necessary. Many women will use this time to debrief their labour and birth experience, or to relive the experience, especially if they are feeling positive about it. You may find that this is also an opportunity to give your caregiver feedback, if they were involved in your pregnancy care, or were present at the birth.
Do you need any tests? Once your caregiver has details about your pregnancy, labour, birth and recovery, they can then determine if you need any specific tests. This may include a
pap test