I hate my health visitor - rant

madtrekker

Wow! Your baby is 13 weeks and your health visitor still visits? What a nightmare!

Where I live, they come ONCE when you've been discharged from the midwife (so when baby is about 10 - 14 days old) and that's it. You don't hear from them again until they do the development checks at 8 months. Of course, they're on hand at the baby clinic or you can ring and leave a message if you need them, but that's all.

I would say to her that you find it a tie having to wait in all the time and would it be ok if you visited the clinic instead? Unless there's some underlying health issue, I can't see that you would need to go more than once every couple of weeks, if that.

missprice

ask to change HV
there are always more than one in a team and its not unreasonable to ask for a different one
do it in writing so that the HV manager knows why and it will be done
I worked with a HV team few years ago and it happens, they don't mind

CL

My friend recently had problems with her HV not showing up for scheduled appointments and when she called to ask when/if she was coming, as she was tied to the house waiting, she was told that she should understand that the HV was busy and she would get to her when she had time.

She told them not to bother coming, that she would go to the clinic. When she attended the clinic, she gave her name and got raised eye-brows and "Oh, we've been expecting you" like she was a trouble maker. They then accused her of having PND because she was irritated at the fact that her HV hadn't shown up on 3 occasions and she waited in all day. They told her they would have to follow up on her PND and she never heard from them since. that was 4 months ago.

Seanymph

I thought I had to see the HV iwth my first child, then I learnt that you don't.

My second one never saw a HV, I deplored her - she was no help, and made me completely stressed.

Go out.

Make-it-3

My HV team wound me up from the start. Firstly, they wrote and said they wanted to meet me when I was 18 weeks pregnant? But after leaving several messages no one responded so I left it. Then after baby was born I had the same run around from the designated HV as you had OP, couldn't confirm a day or time until 1/2 hour before for the home visit. Eventually I met her, she proceeded to berate everything I was doing and then told me I was stuck with her for the next five years.

Oh no I wasn't. I go to the clinic if and when I want and I always say I don't have any problems so just weigh her and I'll be on my way.

As others have said, just rid of her, all my mummy friends say the same HV's are just a waste of space.

mrcow

Why exactly are you seeing a health visitor?

Absolutely pointless. Tell her to push off.

Thegirl

I would just pop to the clinic for a check and a weigh and ignore the home visits. That way if she does try and kick off that you're avoiding her and insinuates there might be a reason for that, it's already on record that you're not and you are attending clinic. It's a non-confrontational path that might help prevent some of the examples listed above from happening.
I was very lucky with my health visitor, but the ones at clinic were always nice too. I've had friends who have hated theirs though. The bad ones do seem to have a way to make people feel awful about everything.

balletshoes

McKneff wrote: »

Take control of the situation and organise for you to take him to the clinic, simple as that really

exactly this - my HV came to my home to see me and baby until baby's umbilical chord had dropped off. Then it was up to me to contact them if I needed any more home visits, or I could take baby to the regular baby clinic at the health centre.

wendz86

They only come once here as well until the one year development check and we have to take her to that. I just see them at the clinic and they are actually quite nice so am probably lucky.

I agree with the others tell them you will take baby to clinic if you have a problem.

building_with_lego

madtrekker wrote: »

I would say to her that you find it a tie having to wait in all the time and would it be ok if you visited the clinic instead? Unless there's some underlying health issue, I can't see that you would need to go more than once every couple of weeks, if that.

Don't *ask* her if it'd be ok- you're giving her the option to say it's not. *Tell* her it's a tie having to wait in therefore you will contact her at the clinic if/ when you need her. You can reassure her that you'll be up there like a shot if you're worried about anything at all, and that you bow to her superior medical knowledge.

As an aside, how sad that an area of the country with what appears to be a great HV service has such a pain of a HV. So many new mothers would actually like this level of support but don't get it.