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Home birth information and checklist

Patient information a-z.

The Rosie offers women the choice of birthing at home. This leaflet is intended to help you plan your baby’s birth at home. You will have the opportunity to discuss this leaflet and your individual birth plan with your community midwife at your 34 week home birth appointment which may be undertaken in your home. However, you are welcome to discuss your wishes for your birth with your midwife at any time during your pregnancy.

Home birth: benefits and safety

For women and birthing people with no complications in pregnancy, childbirth is generally very safe. The ‘Birthplace study’ looked at a large number of women with no complications in pregnancy and compared the safety of births planned in four settings: home, freestanding midwifery units, alongside midwifery units (midwifery unit within a maternity hospital) and obstetric units. The study showed that among those with an uncomplicated pregnancy who plan to give birth at home (or in a midwife-led unit) there is a higher likelihood of a normal birth and significantly less intervention. For example, caesarean section, epidural, episiotomy and instrumental birth.

The study showed that, for those with a low risk pregnancy having their second or subsequent baby, a home birth is as safe as birthing in an obstetric unit and can offer additional benefits to the mother.

For those with a low risk pregnancy having their first baby, the study showed that there is a slightly increased risk of a poorer outcome for the baby at a home birth (such as increased risk of death in labour or shortly afterwards; or birth injury) compared to those who give birth in a midwife led unit or obstetric unit. (1:110 risk of a poor outcome for a home birth compared to 1:190 in an obstetric unit). With respect to midwife led units, the risks to the baby were the same as those born in an obstetric unit, but again there was less intervention during labour and birth.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides guidance based on the best available evidence and acknowledges that women and pregnant people should be offered the choice of planning birth at home, in a midwifery led unit or in an obstetric unit.

NICE also advises that you are made aware that:

• Giving birth is generally safe for both you and your baby.
• The obstetric unit provides direct access to obstetricians, anaesthetists, neonatologists and other specialist care including epidural analgesia.
• The possibility of being transferred into the obstetric unit exists and this possibility and the time this may take should be discussed with you by your midwife.
• If something does go unexpectedly wrong during labour, at home or in a midwife-led unit, the outcome for you or your baby could be worse than if you were in the obstetric unit at the hospital with access to specialised care.
• If you have a pre-existing medical condition or have had a previous complicated birth that makes you at higher risk of developing complications during your next birth, you will be advised to give birth in an obstetric unit.

Contacting a midwife when you are in labour

When you think you are in labour you should call the Rosie Birth Centre midwives on 01223 217003, stating you are planning to have your baby at home. The midwife who takes your call will ask you some questions to help decide if it is time for a midwife to attend you at home and to confirm if there are any new risks that may indicate a different place of birth being recommended. The midwife will answer any questions you may have and agree a plan of care with you. If you require a midwife immediately, then arrangements will be made to send a midwife to you. The first midwife will attend from the Rosie hospital and the second will be the on call community midwife.

The Rosie hospital aims to provide a home birth service to all women who choose to stay at home to birth. However, this is not an absolute guarantee and sometimes, due to the number of women birthing at any one time and the midwives available, in the interest of safety for you and your baby, you may be asked to attend the Rosie birth centre or delivery unit to give birth.

Identifying your home

You will need to prepare clear directions to your home, in advance of the birth, for the midwife who will attend. They may be unfamiliar with the area. You could identify your house in some way, such as fairy lights around a window, balloons on the door or hazard lights on your car.

The midwife attending you will need to have good access to your house and be able to park nearby. They may need help from your birthing partner to carry in the home birth equipment.

Preparations for a home birth

Your midwife will be able to suggest any changes or preparation you could make to ensure your home is ready for the birth of your baby. You will be given suggestions of the items or equipment you will need. For example:

• Good torch, angle-poise light or similar. New batteries or an extension lead.
• Plastic sheeting approximately two square metres. (for example old shower curtain or bubble wrap)
• Old sheet or large old towel to cover plastic sheeting.
• Several old but clean towels including one in which to wrap your newborn baby.
• Box of tissues or kitchen roll.
• Soap and hand towel for the midwife.
• Adequate heating in the home.
• A work surface in the room chosen for the birth.
• A clear and designated area for your baby should they require any support at birth.
• A set of baby clothes and nappy, warmed for the birth.
• Cotton hat for the baby.
• Suitable clothes for you in labour.
• A packed bag for you and your baby in case of transfer to hospital.
• Birth paperwork (provided by the midwife)
• Any items you wish to have to support your comfort in labour such as pillows, birthing ball, beanbag, heat pads, TENs, paracetamol.

The equipment and medications carried by the community midwives will also be discussed with you.

Medications

Medications, including those essential for emergency situations will be provided in advance of your planned home birth. These medications will be prescribed for your use only, to be administered by the midwives attending your birth. During your home birth, these medications must be available for the midwife when they arrive.

The home birth medications will usually be prescribed between 34-36 weeks, and you can either collect them from Rowland’s Outpatient Pharmacy at Addenbrooke’s or they can be couriered to your home.. It is important to keep the medications at room temperature (between 15-25oC), ensure they are out of sight and reach of children, and to follow any additional instructions for storage printed on the label. If you have any problems with medication storage then please call the Addenbrooke’s Medicines Information centre on 01223 217502 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). On weekends (9am-5pm) you can contact the inpatient pharmacist via switchboard on 01223 245151 / 01223 805000. If urgent, out of normal working hours you can call this number to request the on-call pharmacist.

Any unused home birth medication, will be removed at the time of the birth by the attending midwife or the midwife seeing you the next day will collect them for appropriate disposal. They must not be put in a household bin.

Medication list

• Adrenaline (Epinephrine) 1mg/mL (1:1000) solution for injection x 2 ampoules
• Diclofenac 100 mg suppository x 1
• Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection 1% (10mL) x 2 ampoules
• Oxytocin 10 units/mL injection x 2 ampoules
• Syntometrine® (ergometrine 500mcg/oxytocin 5 IU per 1 mL) x 2 ampoules
• Sodium Chloride 0.9% (500ml) IV infusion fluid x 1 bag

Entonox ® (‘gas and air’) and vitamin K (for administration to the baby) will be brought on the day by the midwives attending the birth.

• Pethidine and diamorphine are not available for use at home births.

Care of other children and pets

During the daytime, child care should be arranged, although you may wish for your child/children to be present for the birth. In this case, a responsible adult should be available to look after your child/children’s needs, especially if they do not wish to remain with you. If the birth is at night your child/children may remain asleep. However, you should arrange for a nearby responsible adult to be available to care for them in case they wake up, or you need to be transferred to hospital.

For health & safety reasons, we request that pets in the home are kept in a separate area from the attending personnel and equipment.

Care in Labour

A midwife will care for you in labour, once labour is established. After your initial assessment they may keep in touch with you by telephone if you are in the early stages of labour (latent labour) until you need a midwife with you. If labour goes on for a long time, care may be provided by more than one midwife. Nearer to the time of birth a second midwife will be called. The attendance of a second midwife is not a legal or professional requirement but is recommended to provide additional support and assistance to the first midwife for the birth of your baby.

You may be asked if a student midwife can attend your birth with your midwife. We like to encourage student midwives to attend home births to gain valuable experience in normal childbirth.

During your labour the midwife will support you in your birth plan and monitor the wellbeing or you and your baby as per NICE intrapartum care guidance (2023). You should drink to thirst and eat little and often, as able to. We will also encourage you to empty your bladder every two to four hours. You will be supported in your choice of positions during labour.

Water birth

A warm bath can be relaxing in labour but it is not usually large enough for a water birth. Pools can be bought or hired. Your birthing partner will be responsible for filling the pool, maintaining water temperature and emptying the pool.

The surrounding floor should be protected. A quantity of towels will be required, including one or two large bath sheets for your use when you get out of the pool. An area outside of the pool is also needed for you to give birth if you decide to get out of the water.

A mirror suitable for use in water and a good torch are also useful, so that your baby can be seen being born under water.

Reasons for transfer to hospital

The midwife will recommend transfer of you and/or your baby to hospital if:

● There are any concerns about your baby’s wellbeing during labour. This may be if there are concerns about your baby’s heartbeat or if your baby has passed meconium in your waters.

● There is any abnormal bleeding from the vagina.

● There are concerns about your health during labour. For example raised blood pressure, pulse or temperature.

● Your labour is progressing slowly and it is considered likely some assistance is necessary.

● Your baby is in a position that could make the birth more difficult.

● You wish to transfer for any reason, such as for other pain relief.

● Following an obstetric emergency (possible scenarios will be discussed with your midwife).

● After the birth if there is any concerns with your baby’s breathing or temperature.

● After the birth if you have a tear to your vagina or perineum that is considered too difficult to repair in the home or if it requires repair by a doctor.

You will have an opportunity to discuss this list further with your midwife at your home birth appointment at around 34 weeks.

The Birth place study showed that transfer rates in labour to obstetric units from home are higher for first time mothers (45%) compared to mothers who are in their second or subsequent pregnancy (12%).

If you are transferred, it will be by ambulance. The midwife will accompany you in the ambulance, but may hand over your care to another midwife on arrival at the Rosie delivery unit. Your birth partner is likely to have to travel in your own car, not with you in the ambulance. If your baby needs to transfer to hospital following the birth, where possible you or your partner may go with your baby in the ambulance. Your midwife will talk to you about the locally available services and possible transfer times to your nearest obstetric unit.

Other concerns

If during your pregnancy additional risks have been identified and you are at higher risk of complications developing during your birth, you will be advised to give birth in an obstetric unit where specialised care is available. Your midwife will discuss these factors and appropriate Rosie hospital guidelines with you.

If you still wish to birth at home an appropriate plan of care will be discussed with you and this will be put in place with any necessary arrangements made in time for your birth. It is also recommended that the planning of your birth be discussed with a senior obstetrician; to ensure you have all the information required to make an informed decision about your birth.

Postnatal care

The midwife will remain with you for around two hours after the birth of your baby. During this time the midwife will repair any perineal tears (if required), check that you are well, and that you have been able to have a wash/shower and emptied your bladder. After skin to skin contact and a feed, your baby will be checked and weighed by the midwife, and vitamin k given if you have given consent for this.

Before leaving you, your midwife will provide you with contact phone numbers in case of emergencies and for help and advice. Your own community team will be informed of your birth and plans for your next visit made. Your midwife will ensure you have information on basic safety and care principles in looking after yourself and your baby, including:

● Sleeping positions

● Environmental temperature

● Pain relief for yourself

● What to expect in relation to your recovery from birth

Your baby will have an Oxygen level check prior to leaving you after the birth. A neonatal examination by a specially trained midwife, within 72 hours of the birth. This may be performed at your home, local children’s centre or at the Rosie hospital. Your baby’s newborn hearing test will also be arranged as an outpatient appointment.

We hope this leaflet will prove useful and that you enjoy the birth of your baby wherever that will be.

Useful websites and information

National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) Birthplace in England Research Programme (opens in a new tab)

NICE Guideline Intrapartum care: care of healthy women and their babies during childbirth (2012) NICE The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (opens in a new tab)

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) (opens in a new tab)

National Childbirth Trust (NCT) NCT Giving birth at home (opens in a new tab)

Association for Improvement in Maternity Services (AIMS) AIMS For a better birth (opens in a new tab)

Birth Choice UK Which? Where to give birth (opens in a new tab)

NHS Choices The NHS website (opens in a new tab)

Home birth checklist: record of discussion

A community midwife should complete this discussion with you, ideally in the intended place of birth at your 34 week appointment, or as soon as possible after this.

Benefits and safety of home birth vs hospital birth :

• Include NICE recommendations & results of Birthplace study (see Home birth (opens in a new tab) guideline)

Discussed (y/n) + comments:

• How and when to contact a midwife (RBC 01223 217003).
• The Rosie hospital aims to provide two midwives for home birth, however, due to the varying number of women requiring labour care at any one time we cannot guarantee facilitating your birth at home. If there is no capacity to be able to send two midwives to you then you will be asked to attend a maternity unit for your labour care.
• You may not have met the midwives attending your home birth.
• Medications, including those essential for emergency situations, will be prescribed and dispensed in advance of your planned home birth (ideally between 34-36 weeks). They should be collected from Rowland’s Outpatient Pharmacy at Addenbrooke’s or can be couriered upon request.
• These medications must be kept at room temperature (15-25oC) and out of sight and reach of children. If there are any medication storage problems, call Medicines Information Centre on 01223 217502 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm), or on weekends (9am-5pm) contact inpatient pharmacy via switchboard (01223 245151 / 01223 805000). If urgent, out of normal working hours call switchboard to speak to the on-call pharmacist.
• These medications must be available for use when the midwife arrives.
• Unused medications will be collected by the midwives attending the birth or at your first home visit following birth. They must not be put in a household bin.
• Entonox® and vitamin K will be brought on the day by the midwives attending the birth.
• Do you give your consent for a student to be present?
• Ensure arrangements have been made for provision of care of other child/children in the home during labour and if hospital transfer is required.
• Please be aware that anyone who is infectious/unwell should not present at the birth.
• Care of pets – for health and safety reasons, ensure pets are kept in a separate space/away from personnel attending and equipment.
• These include, but are not limited to: infection/symptoms, slow progress, request for further pain relief, mother’s request, meconium-stained liquor, fetal heart rate abnormalities, abnormal bleeding, malposition/presentation, obstetric emergency (see below), complicated or extensive perineal trauma, retained placenta, and abnormal maternal or neonatal observations.
• Midwives are trained to deal with obstetric and neonatal emergencies, however, some situations may require rapid transfer to hospital by paramedic ambulance.
• Examples of obstetric emergencies: shoulder dystocia, cord prolapse, antepartum/postpartum haemorrhage, fetal heart abnormalities including bradycardia, maternal or neonatal resuscitation, breech presentation, presence of thick meconium and anaphylaxis.
• These will be different for each individual home birth. Midwives present to assess the urgency of the reason for transfer and liaise with the ambulance service directly via 999.
• For an obstetric or neonatal emergencies the expected arrival time of the ambulance service will be within 7-15 minutes. For non-emergency situations, expected arrival time will be 18-40 minutes. Midwife to reassess the urgency of the situation at any point during the transfer process and liaise with ambulance service as appropriate.
• Neonatal emergencies are transferred by ambulance in a separate ambulance to Addenbrooke’s emergency department (ED).
• The total transfer time is also dependent on the distance between your home and the hospital. We will update you on the day of labour care of any factors (such as high activity within the ambulance service) that may lead to a delay in transfer to hospital and access to additional emergency interventions and experts, which may mean you or your baby’s health could be compromised in an emergency.
• Midwives carry limited equipment and while they are training in managing emergency scenarios, this is limited in the home birth situation and therefore emergency care can be delayed due to the need to transfer in.
• Number to contact and when to contact (01223 217003)
• Preparing a safe environment for birth, including a designated area for neonatal resuscitation that has adequate lighting, is at a suitable working height, and is free from drafts and interruption from children/pets.
• Clean hand-washing and toilet facilities for midwives, and access to drinking water. A lit space when the midwife can document.
• Equipment and items not supplied by the hospital/attending midwife, including hiring/purchasing of birth pool (see patient information leaflet).
• Bag for hospital prepared in case transfer required. Childcare in case of hospital transfer.
• Identification of the home, particularly at night. Clear directions, parking/access.
• Birth partner assistance with bringing equipment into the home.
• Realistic expectations regarding personnel and equipment at a home birth and limitations of emergency care in a community setting.
• Birth preferences (completion of PCSP).
• Risk assess suitability for home birth. If any high-risk factors present (including but not limited to, previous obstetric complications, problems occurring in this pregnancy or medical history risk factors), document these and offer & recommend hospital birth & consultation with an obstetrician/consultant midwife.
• For home birth outside guidance, ensure an individualised care plan is documented in Epic and shared with Consultant midwife and obstetrician, community midwives, 984 bleep-holders and community matron.
• Immediate care following birth and expectation that the midwife will be present for 2 hours following delivery of the placenta.
• Include discussion of postnatal care schedule, NIPE, pulse oximetry screening and hearing screen and location of these.
• Assess need for postnatal Dalteparin. If this is known to be required it can be requested via clinic 23 in advance of the birth.
• Assess need for postnatal anti-D – advise the woman that arrangements will be made with her at the time of the birth to attend the RBC for anti-D within 72 hours of the birth.

WIFI code and password to aid documentation in electronic patient record:

Midwife undertaking discussion:

Signed: _________

Print Name:___________________ __________

Contact no: _________________

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Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ

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This document was correct at the time of printing - 30-06-2024 14:10

My NHS care after birth

After you have your baby, your midwifery team will want to make sure you are recovering from the birth, and that your baby is healthy and feeding well.

When thinking about postnatal care, bear in mind that day one is the day after your baby’s date of birth, day two is the day after that and so on.

Postnatal appointments

You will have at least three appointments with a midwife after the birth. Ideally this will be with your named midwife or a familiar member of the team. This is not always possible, because it is important for you to be seen at certain specific points and your midwife may not be working that day. Your named midwife will make sure to see you where it is possible.

A basic postnatal check will be carried out for both you and your baby each time you see a midwife from the birth until you are discharged from maternity care. Most women will be discharged after a week and a half to two weeks. Some women and babies will be supported by midwives a little longer, up to one month after birth.

At each postnatal check, you will be asked questions about yourself and your baby. All the questions are important ways of picking up any problems. Don’t be surprised to be talking about all sorts of body fluids!

First visit after the birth

You will be seen by a midwife face to face at home the day after having your baby, or the first full day that you are home, if you have been cared for in hospital or birth centre for one or more nights. If there are any concerns, a plan will be made to see you or speak to you within the next day or two depending on what is needed.

Click here for the contact numbers to your midwifery team

Extra support if needed in the first days

Additional support with feeding your baby may be provided by a midwife or a maternity support worker. You may be offered a phone call to check in with how things are going. There may be other reasons that additional visits in the first days are recommended. This might be for yourself or your baby.

The hormonal changes women undergo in the first few days are enormous, and it is quite normal to feel low perhaps for several days. This is known as the baby blues . Contact your midwife for extra support if you or your partner are not sure what is normal baby blues and what is a more serious mental health concern.

Day five visit

You will have a visit or appointment on day five. Scheduling for this visit is important to offer you postnatal blood screening for your baby. This newborn blood spot test, also known as the heel prick test, is explained below. Day five is the ideal day for these. Any earlier and the tests are less reliable. If it’s later this provides less time to put the right care in place for babies with certain rare conditions before problems develop. 

On the day five visit, your midwife will ask to weigh your baby (without clothes or nappy). You will already have been asked about your baby’s wees and poos. This is how to make sure your baby is feeding effectively. The weight provides another important check.

It is normal for babies to lose weight for two or three days after the birth, before weight gain starts. When babies are first weighed, they have some extra fluid in their system from being in the womb. Just as mothers will pee more often in the days after the birth to get rid of extra fluid, so will babies.

If your baby has lost more than ten percent of the birth weight on day five, a careful feeding plan or further health checks for your baby will be recommended. There may be other signs that feeding is not going well, for example if your baby has a yellow tinge to their skin or eyes known as jaundice.

NHS.uk information about newborn jaundice (yellow colouring)

How to know your baby is getting enough milk

Discharge from maternity service

Between 10 and 28 days after the birth, you will be discharged from the midwifery team. This may be your third postnatal appointment, or your may have had more. At this point, the midwife will check your baby is well and back to birth weight or will be soon. Your midwife will check that you are well and on track with your recovery from the birth.

Your care passes to the Health Visiting Team , who will support your family and your baby up until your baby is 5 years old. Your GP will also play an important role, carrying out a 6–8-week postnatal check for you and your baby, and being on hand for general health concerns.

Your baby’s cord stump will normally have dropped off by now, allowing you to see your baby’s belly button!

Postnatal health checks

Body Changes after Birth

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Community Midwife visits/ appointments

This page outlines the care you will be provided with once your care has been transferred from the postnatal ward, over to your community midwifery team. This also covers if you have had your baby at home. 

1st home visit, the day after you are transferred home from hospital/ following a homebirth

You will be visited by your community midwife at home, she will perform a postnatal health check on you and baby and also give feeding support , filling in a documented feeding assessment with you.

Around day 2-3

A midwife or maternity support worker will call you to support with feeding your baby and to ask about jaundice. This is tailored to your individual needs; if any issues are highlighted, you will receive a face-to-face visit to receive feeding support and/or a simple non-invasive test to check baby for jaundice (see the Jaundice section below for more Information).

A midwife or maternity support worker will either visit you at home or invite you to a clinic for this appointment. Another set of postnatal checks will be performed on you and your baby, your baby will be weighed and you will be offered the new born blood spot screening for baby .

Discharge appointment- from Day 10 onwards

A midwife will visit you at home, where she will provide postnatal checks and re-weigh your baby. By this appointment, your baby should be back to their birth weight. If not, you will be provided with extra, appropriate care from your midwife, health visitor, specialist feeding services or paediatrician. 

Testing for Jaundice

Your newborn baby should be checked for signs of jaundice at every opportunity, especially in the first 5 days.

If your baby appears yellow, is sleepy, not feeding well or unresponsive, please contact your Midwife or Health Visitor as soon as possible. Make sure you look at your baby in natural light.

If it looks like your baby has visible jaundice, this will be checked in the first instance using a transcutaneous bilirubinometer (TcB) a hand held machine placed against your baby’s skin; it is non-invasive and causes no pain or discomfort to your baby. If this reading is raised your baby will need to have a simple blood test carried out in hospital to check the bilirubin levels. The Doctor or Midwife will use the results to decide whether the jaundice needs to be treated and what kind of treatment would be best. 

For further information, please see the NHS Choices website:  New-born jaundice  

The Role of the Health Visitor

When your baby is born the hospital send a birth notification to your Health Visitor. Your Health Visitor may visit you at home prior to the birth of your baby. However, it is usually 2 weeks after the birth of your baby when the Midwife has discharged you from their care.

At this first contact the Health Visitor will assess the health needs of you and your baby and offer advice regarding health and wellbeing and the baby clinics.

In addition, they may also weigh and examine your baby.

This information will be recorded in your Child’s Record Book (The Red Book) .

If they have not contacted you by Day 14, please contact your GP.

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Making the most of your midwife after birth

When will my midwife visit me after my baby's been born?

What tests and checks will my midwife carry out, what will happen at my first midwife appointment after my baby's birth, what information will my midwife give me, when will my midwife discharge me, what sort of questions can i ask my midwife, i'm struggling to cope with being a new parent. should i tell my midwife, feeding your baby, your baby’s health.

• whether your baby's umbilical cord stump has fallen off, and how the area's healing
• the number of wet and soiled nappies your baby’s having each day
• the colour of your baby’s skin, in case of jaundice
• that your baby’s eyes and mouth don't have any signs of infection
• inside your baby’s mouth for signs of tongue-tie , if they are struggling to feed

Your physical health

• signs of an infection, bleeding and vaginal discharge
• leaking wee after giving birth (stress incontinence)
• being unable to wee (urinary retention)
• constipation after birth
• sore nipples

Your mental health

• eating healthily
• staying active
• your lifestyle, including how much alcohol you drink and whether you smoke or take illegal drugs
• your contraceptive options
• resuming your sex life
• your baby’s immunisations
• I'm breastfeeding, but I want my partner to feed our baby too. Can I express ? Try to wait until your baby's about eight weeks old before offering them a bottle. Putting them to the breast is the most effective way to establish breastfeeding. There's plenty of things your partner can do in the early days, such as changing their nappy or doing skin-to-skin .
• Can I give my newborn a bath ? You can, but you don’t need to bath them every day. In the first week or so you may find it easier to wash their face, neck, hands and bottom carefully instead. This is sometimes called topping and tailing.
• My baby keeps crying. What can I do? Crying is your baby's main means of communication. As they can't talk, it's the only way they can let you know that they need something. It could be a feed, a nappy change, or just a cuddle. Watch our video for more on why your baby cries .
• How do I get my baby into a routine ? The simple answer is that you can't yet. Until your baby's about three months old, you'll probably find that no two days and nights are the same.
• My baby hasn’t had a poo today. Is there something wrong? Don’t worry, not all babies poo every day - or even every other day. It doesn’t mean there's anything wrong. Mention it to your midwife or health visitor at your next appointment.
• I have passed a blood clot. What should I do? If the blood clot is bigger than a 50p coin then call your midwife for advice. Keep your pad if you were wearing one at the time. Your midwife will ask you lots of questions and may visit if they feel it's necessary.
• I've had a c-section and I'm worried that my stitches are going to come undone. After a c-section you'll be able to see the continuous stitch that closes the skin. But underneath this, your muscle has also been stitched. So although it may feel strange, rest assured that your tummy won't suddenly open up. If you notice holes appearing along your wound, call your midwife for advice.
• What exactly is the fourth trimester?
• Life hacks for your baby's first three months
• Six ways to beat new-parent stress
• Find out How to create a safe sleep environment for your baby

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Where to go next

Ready Steady Baby

Your booking appointment (booking visit).

Your first main appointment is your booking appointment (booking visit) with your midwife. It normally takes place between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Pregnant? Get the best start by seeing your midwife

If you’ve just found out that you’re pregnant, get the best start for you and your baby by making an appointment with a midwife.

Midwife appointments

Make an appointment with your midwife as soon as you know you’re pregnant.

Finding a midwife to help you through your pregnancy’s easy. In most Health Board areas you can make your first midwife appointment by asking your GP receptionist. In some areas you can call the midwifery service direct.

Tests you’ll be offered

At your booking appointment, you’ll:

• have your weight and height measured
• have your blood pressure measured – this will be done again at every midwife appointment to check for pregnancy-induced hypertension or   pre-eclampsia
• be asked to give a urine sample

You’ll probably have   your first scan   arranged too.

What you’ll be asked

Your midwife will ask you about:

• you and your family’s health
• your relationship with your baby’s father or your partner to see whether you or they may need support
• your mental health and how you’re feeling – including if you’ve had mental health difficulties before or if you’re being treated for any now
• whether you drink alcohol and if so how much – if you’ve been drinking during pregnancy speak honestly to your midwife or GP

Your midwife will tell you about screening tests and vaccines available during pregnancy, and will support you to make choices.

Your midwife will also ask about your income and if you would like support to access maternity benefits or welfare advice services.

Give as much information as you can, as it means you’ll get the care that’s best for you and your baby.

Female genital mutilation

During your booking appointment you’ll be asked a question about female genital mutilation (FGM).

It’s important to know if this practice has happened to you. This enables health professionals to plan and provide your care.

FGM Aware   has more information about how FGM is being tackled in Scotland.

What you’ll be told

Your midwife will tell you about:

• the antenatal care in your area
• local services to help you stop smoking, cut down or stop drinking or support you around drug taking – they can also arrange these if needed

They’ll also talk to you about your choices for   where to give birth

What you’ll be given

Your midwife will give you information about:

• the   social care benefits   you can get while you’re pregnant and after your baby’s born
• immunisations recommended in pregnancy
• screening tests in pregnancy   and be offered blood tests if you would like them

Emotional support

Your midwife will ask you questions about your own experiences of growing up. Being pregnant may remind you of difficult emotions from your past. For example, if you ever experienced:

• violence at home
• abuse of any kind
• feeling unsafe or neglected

Be as honest as you can. Understanding your experiences will help your midwife to:

• look after your emotional and physical health
• make sure you and your baby have the best possible care

Can I bring someone with me?

It’s fine for your partner or a friend to come with you. Remember you’re likely to be talking about some confidential and private things.

It’s up to you whether you’d feel more comfortable discussing these things in confidence with just your midwife, or if you’d prefer to have someone else that you trust there as well.

If you need an interpreter, make sure you or your partner tell your midwife before the appointment.

Further information, other languages and alternative formats

Translations and alternative formats of this information are available from   Public Health Scotland .

If you need a different language or format, please contact [email protected].

• Ready Steady Baby leaflet in Arabic, Polish, Simplified Chinese (Mandarin) or Ukrainian
• Ready Steady Baby leaflet in English (Easy Read)

Source: Public Health Scotland - Opens in new browser window

Last updated: 16 January 2024

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Midwife home visit (NHS) due to hyperemesis?

Lagirl20 · 20/11/2023 11:14

I am suffering terribly with severe sickness this pregnancy. Bed bound. No idea how to get to first midwife app- I can’t even leave bed to shower. Does anyone know if NHS midwives would do a home visit for booking app under these circumstances? Thanks

No, you need support to get out of bed. Have you spoke to your GP about anti-emetics? You can’t spend the next 6 months in bed

I’m on medication and managing as best I can. This isn’t expected to last past 17 weeks (same as last pregnancy). Thanks for your unhelpful comment.

My midwife did my booking appointment over the phone so you could ask about that. I hope you feel better soon!

I had my booking appointment over the phone and the home birth midwives came to my house to take the bloods. This was due to severe agoraphobia (I basically had a breakdown in pregnancy) but the home birth midwives said they often did it for needle-phobic people. So it didn't seem that uncommon.

Daveismyhero · 20/11/2023 11:26

CrispsandCheeseSandwich · 20/11/2023 11:29

Thank you, this is great to know. Hope you’re doing well now.

As in, they often took the blood at home for needle phobic people. They assumed that was why they were there for me.

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I had a few home visits in first pregnancy not for any specific reason. I would definitely ask x

Op its always worth asking…but…as someone who also gets hyperemisis, do you need to be in hospital? Regular IV meds and drips made me feel so much more human. Have you access to pregnancy sickness support phone lines? In terms of meds - do you feel you are on the right “stage”/drug combo? I can’t imagine not showering when I was puking 50+ times a day. It’s a horrible way to have to experience pregnancy. My one worry with expecting a phone booking appointment is that I think they’ll prob want to you have urine dips too to check dehydration/infection. The extent of your sickness is likely to mean it’s more important to them that they see you. In my area, there wouldn’t be funding for an early home visit (which booking would be deemed to be), but they’d work with you to try get you a time that’s most possible for you. Sounds really difficult for you.

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Does the midwife/health visitor HAVE to visit you at home after the birth?

Does anyone know if the midwife has to visit you at home after the birth?

Only asking because I'm going to have a full house with in-laws staying and my 2 big dogs who will be getting used to this new addition to the family and the thought of someone who is as good as a stranger coming in everyday is stressing me out more than the birth itself! I would much prefer to take bubs to the surgery to see her, is that possible?

20 comments

Umm well I don't fancy getting everything ready to go out the day after I give birth- I really can't imagine the hassle of it all.....

The MW's want to see how you are coping so yes I guess they have to visit you at home as it helps them to catch signs of problems earlier.

my midwife just came to check up on me last time. she was in and out in 20 mins.

i didnt even offer her a drink. i was so pre occupied with baby / tired / sore.

tbh you prob wont want to go to the surgery or any where in the first day or two. when she arranges to come over get the in laws to take the dogs out for 1/2 hour so you can have a chat with the midwife in peace.

i dont know if she HAS to, i know mine always has seen me at home, cos ive had c sections there hasnt really been another option for me .... sorry im no help xx

yer the midwife comes 4 2weeks not every day tho. i think it was a help tho coz you ave different qestions 2 ask. trust me u wil b glad 2 c them. there only there 4 10mins at a time anyway. xx

oh and she doesnt come every day.

mine came 2 or 3 times i think.

The mw visits are very quick - they weigh the baby do a heel prick test on the baby on the first visit - check any stitches that you may have had and how you are feeling. The first mw visit after Jake was born I had mum, dad, my aunt, uncle and cousin there as well as our dog. I was still in my pj's and was feeding Jake so top half exposed as well. She was in and out as quick as possible.

The first visit by the HV is a little longer as she wants to assess you for PND, weigh baby find out some family history - fill in the babies red book, give you information about groups and support in your area. But don't worry about anything they aren't there to judge you or your house or whose there etc....

Aye, I hadn't thought if that lol. I know she is coming out as much for me as the little 'un but I have never met 'my' midwife so kind of resent the thought of the intrusion tbh. Hopefully she'll not be the chatty type (god that sounds awful lol)

board hopping - sorry.  its law that a midwife sees the baby after it is born.  Anyother visits are not law but are helpful, to make sure feeding is ok - you are ok - baby is well etc.  also to do othr tests like heel prick etc.  Its well worth the visits.  normally you're signed off by day 10 x

You can put it in writing that you don't want anyone to visit you after the birth but on the one occasion I've heard of this happening, social services got involved so they had visits from them instead.

They don't come out everyday, I think they came out about 3 times after DD2 and then when she was a year old. They come out just to check you and baby. They don't care about how many people you have around you or what the animals are up to or the state of the place.

I think they have to, once your home from hospital you are released to their care, they come for upto 10 days but once they see your fine they leave you be, they check babys weight, do the heel prick test, and just check yours and babys general well being, they are not interested in how tidy or if your dressed, or whos there, there priority is you and baby.

Not sure if they HAVE to, but it really is for your own benefit, if you have any concerns or problems they can give you the answers.

They be in and out before you know it.

Once midwifes happy you coping ok they sign you over to health visitor, not quite sure how long it is before you see them but its not often and usually couple of weeks before first visit i think?

Been a while since i did it first time, but not sure if all areas work the same.

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Midwives called Asian women in labour ‘princesses’ for asking for pain relief, report finds

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Midwives at a West Midlands hospital called women in labour “Asian princesses” for asking for pain relief, a new report has revealed, as NHS officials raise “deep concern” over racist behavior in maternity care .

An NHS review into training for midwives at University Hospitals Birmingham has raised multiple concerns over midwives’ racist behavior towards patients.

According to the report, uncovered by the Health Service Journal, trainee midwives saw senior staff use the term “Asian princess” in reference to brown-skinned women requesting pain relief during labour.

Some reportedly said “Oh, they are all like this”, referring to Asian women, and said asylum seekers were “playing the system.”

Midwife students told NHS officials there was a “disregard” from some midwives towards black and brown-skinned women, particularly where English was not their first language, and said women who could not speak English were left without interpreters.

Midwives were also found to be making “sarcastic” comments towards mothers with mental health issues.

The report raised wider issues with the trust’s maternity services including trainee midwives’ reports “never having experienced a fully staffed shift” and midwives that had no time to take breaks or visit the toilet due to poor staffing.

Have you been impacted by this story? email [email protected]

Habib Naqvi, chief executive for watchdog the NHS Race Observatory, told HSJ he was “deeply concerned” by the cases and warned: “discriminatory behaviours and ways of working… [can] lead to hostile and unsupportive learning environments… impact patient care and safety, and also seriously undermine the NHS’s goal of attracting and retaining its workforce”.

The warning comes after Donna Ockenden, chair of the major review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospital, said she had found “countless” reports of “racist and discriminatory” behavior.

In a letter to the trust’s chief executive, she said one mother reported bed sheet being thrown at her by a member of staff after she had repeatedly asked for help to change a bloodstained bed.

Another said who had just lost her baby said a staff member was “mimicking her accent, voice and mannerisms.” Instead of the staff member being reprimanded senior managers appeared to laugh, according to the letter.

The same mother asked for an interpreter and was told by a staff member “I think you understand enough, no need for an interpreter.”

Ms Ockenden has also repeatedly raised the issue of poor interpretation services at NUH.

University Hopsitals Birmingham Foundation Trust told HSJ behaviours highlighted in the report were “not acceptable” and that it takes concerns “very seriously”.

It added: “We want to ensure that every woman and family we care for receives safe, equitable care and have zero tolerance towards any discriminatory behaviours within our hospitals.

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Visits to NHS website’s hay fever page more than double

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The number of hay fever sufferers searching for NHS advice has more than doubled in the past week as temperatures rise across England.

The NHS website has received an average of 11,736 visits a day since Monday compared to a daily average of 4,749 visits at the weekend – an increase of 147%.

Visits to the hay fever page peaked yesterday (Thursday) with 14,978 visits – equivalent to one visit every six seconds.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “Most people will be pleased to see summer finally arrive, but it also seems to have led to an increase in pollen levels and discomfort for hay fever sufferers.

“Hay fever symptoms can usually be managed at home or with medication widely available in community pharmacies or supermarkets.

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The symptoms include sneezing, coughing, a runny or blocked nose, as well as red, itchy, or watery eyes. Sufferers can also experience headaches, earache or lose their sense of smell.

The NHS hay fever page details several ways people can ease their symptoms including staying indoors, keeping their windows shut, not cutting their grass or coating their nostrils with Vaseline to trap the pollen.

The page also offers advice on different treatments available from pharmacists and recommends when people should seek help from their GP.

The NHS website is the UK’s biggest health website with an estimated 2.1 million visits a day in 2023 from people seeking information and advice.

It includes over 4,000 pages and provides information about 990 medical conditions as well other health services including applying for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card for healthcare cover abroad, finding a GP, and a pregnancy due date calculator.

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Introduction of new NHS vaccination programmes against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Published 24 June 2024

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2024

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv-vaccination-programmes-letter/introduction-of-new-nhs-vaccination-programmes-against-respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv

24 June 2024

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Dear Colleagues,

Introduction of new NHS vaccination programmes against respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV )

Following guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation ( JCVI ), we are writing to systems to set out next steps for delivery of 2 new respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ) vaccination programmes from 1 September 2024, for older adults and during pregnancy for infant protection.

RSV  is a common respiratory virus that that can cause serious lung infections. While RSV infection can occur at any age, the risk and severity of RSV and its complications are increased in older adults and in neonates and small babies, and it has a considerable impact on individuals and NHS services during the winter months.

Following successful completion of a competitive tender and with funding approved from the Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC ), we are pleased to be able to provide further information about the programme. We ask that you share this with all local partners involved in commissioning and delivering the programme.

Programme for older adults aged 75 to 79 years old

All adults turning 75 years old on or after 1 September 2024 will be eligible for the routine programme and should be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine on or after their 75th birthday. A one-off catch-up campaign for those already aged 75 to 79 years old on 1 September 2024 should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity with the aim of completing the majority by 31 August 2025. To offer the best protection, we are asking systems and providers to vaccinate as many people as possible during September and October 2024 prior to the expected RSV season. In line with JCVI guidance, individuals will remain eligible until the day before their 80th birthday, with the exception of people who turn 80 in the first year who have until 31 August 2025 to get vaccinated.

This campaign will be commissioned from general practice as an essential service, starting from 1 September 2024. In addition, NHS England ( NHSE ) will be commissioning a number of community pharmacies to deliver the programme. Further details will be shared in due course.

Programme for pregnant women to protect infants

All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant (the eligible cohort) on 1 September 2024, should be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine, through commissioned services. After that, pregnant women will become eligible as they reach 28 weeks gestation and remain eligible up to birth. The ideal opportunity to offer vaccination would be at the 28-week antenatal contact ( ANC ), following prior discussion at the 20-week ANC . Providers should aim to vaccinate those already eligible on 1 September as soon as possible.

Information provided in the annexes of this letter:

Annexe A : detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals about the RSV older adult offer.

Annexe B : detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals about the RSV vaccination offer for pregnant women to protect infants and the high-risk infant offer.

Annexe C : detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals – both programmes.

For any operational queries, please contact your NHS England Regional Public Health Commissioning Team. For clinical queries or queries about supporting programme resources, please email [email protected] .

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in commissioning and delivering the national immunisation programme in England.

Yours sincerely

Steve Russell, National Director of Vaccinations and Screening, NHS England

Dr Mary Ramsay CBE, Director of Public Health Programmes (including immunisation), UK Health Security Agency

Annexe A. Detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals – Older adult programme

The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation ( jcvi ).

In June 2023, based on impact and cost effectiveness modelling, the JCVI advised that an RSV immunisation programme, that is cost effective, should be developed for older adults aged 75 years old and above. The JCVI further advised it favoured a one-off campaign as the strategy for this programme with the initial offer covering several age cohorts and then a routine programme for those turning 75 years old, with its delivery and implementation to be determined through further consultation between NHS England, DHSC , UKHSA and the devolved administrations.

Funding and service arrangements

Routine NHS-funded vaccinations and immunisations are delivered as essential services under the GP Contract from the 1 September 2024, the RSV vaccination programme will be included, as set out in this letter. Details of how the service will be commissioned will be shared via an NHS England deployment note and relevant contracting arrangements will be put in place accordingly.

Practices will be required to undertake call/recall for patients as they become eligible for the programme from 1 September. Accurate and timely recording of all vaccines given, and good management of all associated documentation, is essential as per the standards set out in the GMS Regulations and Statement of Financial Entitlement ( SFE ).

Funding will be part of the Public Health Allocation to regional commissioners annually to disseminate, as required locally.

Vaccine coverage data collection

Single dose coverage of the RSV vaccination will be collected. GP practice-level RSV vaccine coverage will be based on data automatically uploaded via participating GP IT suppliers to the ImmForm website (a website used by UKHSA and NHS to collect data on vaccine coverage and provide vaccine ordering facilities for the NHS). For the maternal programme, data will be collected monthly with an 8 week lag to allow for transfer of records and recording of live births and immunisations in women’s records. For older adults, data will be collected quarterly.

From September 2024 data will be collected on the following:

For older adults:

Denominator: the number of patients in the relevant age bands registered with a participating GP on the data extraction date.

Numerator: the number of patients in the denominator that have received the RSV vaccine between 1 September 2024 and the extraction date.

The data will be validated and analysed by UKHSA to check data completeness, identify and query any anomalous results and describe epidemiological trends. Reports will be available on GOV.UK.

Annexe B. Detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals – pregnancy vaccination for infant protection programme

In June 2023, based on impact and cost effectiveness modelling, the JCVI advised that a RSV immunisation programme, that is cost effective, should be developed for infants. Further details can be found in the JCVI RSV statement .

Women should be offered RSV vaccination in each pregnancy from 28 weeks gestation. Infants at high risk of RSV disease should also receive passive immunisation against RSV in accordance with criteria in the Green Book, chapter 27a regardless of whether the mother was vaccinated during the pregnancy.

Where appropriate and in accordance with procurement legislation, the service may be provided under a variation to the NHS Standard Contract with current providers as determined by regional commissioners, based on population need and using the nationally provided template schedules. Where a new non-primary care provider is commissioned in accordance with procurement legislation, then the nationally provided standard contract templates must be used.

Opportunistic or on request GP delivery of immunisations will be commissioned as an essential service in the GP contract. Where commissioners may want general practice to routinely provide this service, this will need to be commissioned locally over and above the core opportunistic or on request offer and giving due regard to procurement legislation.

Funding will be provided as part of the Public Health Allocation to regional commissioners annually to disseminate, as required locally.

Vaccination event data recording

Vaccination events should be recorded using nationally agreed applications. Vaccinations provided in a GP setting will be recorded directly onto GPIT systems. Supporting information on vaccine event recording requirements will be provided to regional commissioners and commissioned providers.

Single dose coverage of the RSV vaccination will be collected.

For the maternal programme:

Denominator: the number of women registered with a participating GP on the data extraction date who delivered in the survey month regardless of gestational age at birth.

Numerator: the number of women in the denominator recorded as having received RSV vaccination between week 28 of pregnancy and delivery.

The data will be validated and analysed by UKHSA to check data completeness, identify and query any anomalous results and describe epidemiological trends.

Annexe C. Detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals – both programmes

Vaccine supply.

The RSV vaccine Abrysvo® will be made available to order online via the ImmForm website . See the ImmForm helpsheet for information on registering for an ImmForm account. The vaccine is expected to be available to order from early August. The same Abrysvo® vaccine will be used for both the older adult and the infant programmes but will be separate items on ImmForm and the product should be managed independently where possible. Ordering controls may be in place to enable UKHSA to balance incoming supply with demand. Details on ordering will be available on ImmForm and in Vaccine Update in due course. Providers should plan to include Abrysvo® with their usual ImmForm vaccine orders rather than placing additional orders and ensure that local stocks of vaccine are rotated in fridges so that wastage is minimised. It is recommended that practices hold no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock.

Patient Group Directions (PGDs)

A new RSV PGD template will be produced by UKHSA for NHS England areas to authorise for their commissioned services. This will be available from the PGD collection on GOV.UK.

Information and guidance for healthcare practitioners

Detailed clinical guidance on RSV and RSV vaccination is contained in chapter 27a of Immunisation Against Infectious Disease (the Green Book).

Healthcare practitioner information and guidance to support the RSV programme including an Information for Healthcare Practitioners document and a training slide set will be available from the RSV vaccination programme webpage .

Patient information materials

Patient information materials will be available on the RSV vaccination programme webpage .

All patient facing resources can be ordered free of charge from Health Publications . All users need to register to receive deliveries. If you register as a health professional, you can order 500 to 1,000 copies on the website. For larger quantities, please call 0300 123 1002.

Guidance on informed consent can be found in chapter 2 of the Green Book .

Black Triangle Scheme and reporting suspected adverse reactions

Abrysvo® is part of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s ( MHRA ) Black Triangle Scheme for new medicines and vaccines to allow rapid identification of new safety information. Health professionals and those vaccinated are asked to report suspected adverse reactions through the online Yellow Card scheme , by downloading the Yellow Card app or by calling the Yellow Card scheme on 0800 731 6789 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

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KievKyivUkraine.com

A Walking tour of the Pechersk District of Kiev

Ancient city of Kiev with its numerous interesting sights, varied historic monuments, makes for a fantastic holiday destination. There are several districts in Kiev which are best explored on foot and this guide will introduce you to Pechersky district or simply Pechersk. The walking tour also covers the interesting and prestigious Lipki area of the city. The whole route takes about 3 hours follow and is a pleasant introduction to Kiev.

Introduction to Pechersk

Pechersky district occupies the hills of the right bank of the river Dnieper. Its name derives from Ukrainian "pechera", i.e., a cave. The history of the district dates back to the ancient times and is closely connected with the world famous Kiev-Pechersk Lavra representing a unique Monastery complex including about 20 different in age and style temples and churches as well as the Near and the Far Caves. The Pechersk Lavra Monastery is a must for visitors to Kiev, however, to explore it more or less you will have to spend a whole day, at least.

The stunning Pechersk Lavra complex

In the 19th century Pechersk became one of the most prestigious districts of Kiev. Well-to-do Kievans and nobilities began to build luxurious private residences and fascinating palaces in the most prestigious and aristocratic area of Pechersk called Lipki. The name Lipki (i.e., small lime trees) is associated with the lime tree grove that was planted in this area in the middle of the 18th century. It is just this area that we recommend you to visit.

How to get to Lipki

The walking tour begins at the Maidan Nezalezhniosti (Independence Square) metro station which is located in central Kiev in Khreshchatik Street. We will walk up the Gorodetskogo Street passing by the grand building of the Musical Academy of Ukraine and admiring the highly decorated facades of several buildings, which line the street. The street runs to a square in which the building of Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre is standing that was built in 1898. In front of the theatre there is a small park with sculpture to famous Ukrainian comedian M.Yakovchenko who had been working in the theatre for many years. We will turn to the left and walk along Olginskaya Street heading for our first destination – Institutskaya (Institute) Street. The whole walk takes no more than 10-15 minutes.

Attractions of Institutskaya Street

There you will see a beautiful building of the former "Privileged Boarding School for Daughters of the Aristocracy" erected in 1838. It was constructed in the late classical style according to the design of V.Beretti. Now it is the International Centre of Culture and Art.

Institutskaya Street hosts one of the Kiev best Byzantine style buildings – that of the National Bank of Ukraine erected in 1905. This imposing building has rich decorated exterior preserved unchanged to our days. The façade is adorned with marble columns, elegant ornamental designs, while the decorative turrets at the building corners are supported by the sculptures of giant gryphons.

What to see in Bankovaya Street

From Institutskaya Street we will go to the nearby Bankovaya Street. Its stand out attraction is the so-called "Dom s Khimerami" (House with Chimaeras), which was built by V.Gorodetsky in 1901-1903. It stands in a few minute walk from the National Bank. This house became the main tourist attraction since its appearance. It represents an extraordinary Art Nouveau construction of unusual shape highly decorated with various mystical and real creatures such as eagles, frogs, mermaids, etc. The figures of exotic or mythical animals are sitting on the roof, crawling on the walls or hanging over the entrances.

Kiev is full of stunning monuments

There is another interesting attraction in this street – the so-called "Pryanichny Domik" (Gingerbread House), a nice four-storeyed Gothic style building. The façade of this fabulous building is highly decorated. Its main feature was the sliding bamboo ceiling. It was made by its owner in order to keep up Judaic tradition to live in the open air during the Feast of Booths. Nowadays it belongs to the Writers’ Union. There is an expensive the “Sad” (Garden) restaurant in the house yard famous for gourmet foods of European cuisine.

Lyuteranskaya Street and its attractions

A short walk will lead to Lyuteranskaya (Lutheran) Street in which one of the most amazing villas in the capital is located. The house was built in 1907 in Art Nouveau style and is known as "Dom Plachushchey Vdovy" (The House of Weeping Widow). On its façade you may notice a stylized face of a woman with the leaves of horse-chestnut above it. When it rains it seems that the tears are running down her stone cheeks. This house is considered as one of the best examples of Art Nouveau style in Ukrainian capital.

The street also features the St. Catherine’s Church erected in 1857. It is the only Lutheran temple in Kiev that was built in simplified Gothic style, which was famous for its excellent internal acoustics. The Church is functioning now and open from 8:00 to 21:00.

Things to see in Shelkovichnaya Street

Another short walk leads to Shelkovichnaya (American mulberry) Street, where you will admire the pretty two-storeyed "Shokoladny Domik" (Chocolate House). This strange but "sweet" name is connected with intense brown color of building’s façade, which due to its numerous sculptural decorations resembles the stick of an exquisite chocolate. It is highly recommended to visit this house from 11:00 to 17:00 every day, except for Monday and Thursday as it boast an amazing interior. There are several very different in their interior halls: “Japanese Cabinet”, “Mauritanian Hall”, "Gothic Dining Room", etc. Now it is the branch of the Kiev Museum of Russian Art. Adjoining the “Chocolate House” is a wonderful house built in 1901 and resembling a Gothic palace. It is much better to admire its beautiful façade from the opposite side of the street.

The Dnieper River of Kiev

There are many other interesting attractions and places in this area and in Pechersk on the whole. You will appreciate strolling about Lipskaya Street, which is lined with several deserving attention houses and buildings. There is an expensive "Lipsky Osobnyak" restaurant in this street, which is recommended to visit if you want to taste the best cooked traditional Ukrainian "borshch". The restaurant is also famous for cooking dishes according to the recipes of the 18-19 century.

Kiev Ukraine Travel Guide

Getting Started

2 Days in Kiev Airport to Kiev Kiev’s finest Hotels

Things to see in Kiev St. Vladimir’s Cathedral Podil district walking tour Pechersk walking tour

Day trip to Mezhyhirya Day trip to Chernihiv Kiev Taxi Guide Kiev Metro Guide Boat Tours along the Dnieper River

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A Walking tour of the Pechersk District of Kiev © 2018 KievKyivUkraine.com - Privacy Policy & Contact Page

How to visit Kiev in 4 days

By Joan Torres 10 Comments Last updated on May 3, 2024

The concept and perceptions of Kiev are a bit strange.

People who haven’t visited Kiev perceive it as a distant Eastern European city with close ties to Russia, a lot of apparent corruption and frequent protests going on.

The thing is that – as Bradt travel writer Michael Palin once said  – few stories in English romanticize Kiev and, for the last few years, with all the violent demonstrations and the ongoing war against Russia , many people from the West are even questioning the city’s safety and potential appeal.

Nevertheless, despite all these negative views, your perception of the capital changes radically as soon as you step into the city, because what you find is an extremely vibrant, energetic and beautiful capital with so much going on. 

Kiev is, in fact, one of my favorite cities in the world, but I only discovered that upon my arrival, because Kiev is a city that, unexpectedly, tends to wow all its visitors.

There is just so much to do here, from visiting Baroque-style buildings to a large WWII Heritage, loads of Soviet things to see, a great bar scene and, basically, something going on in almost every corner.

Traveling to Kiev won’t disappoint you.

I spent two weeks in the city and this guide contains everything you need to know to visit Kiev , including transportation tips, the best places to stay and, of course, the best things to do in Kiev in a 4-day itinerary, including off the beaten track stuff.

For a more practical guide to the country, don’t forget to read my ultimate Ukraine guide

In this Kiev travel guide you will find:

Table of Contents

• How to visit Kiev
• Moving around
• Where to stay
• Day 1 – Around Pecherski
• Day 2 – Around Shevchenkivskyi
• Day 3 – Around Podilski
• Day 4 – Get offbeat
• Day trips from Kiev
• More information

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How to prepare your visit when you travel to Kiev

Kiev is big, like damn big.

In area, it is almost as big as Berlin and definitely bigger than Madrid or Paris, so it might easily be the 3rd or 4th largest city in Europe.

Despite its size, however, it only has 3 metro lines.

It also has an extensive tram and city bus system but, when you have to make a connection, it just takes forever to reach some places.

Visit Kiev on a guided tour CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL AVAILABLE TOURS IN KIEV

Moreover, many things to do in Kiev, as well as bars and restaurants, are scattered all around the city, so you can’t just leave where you are staying and expect to find everything along the way. 

This means that visiting Kiev requires a bit of preparation and planning ahead, so that is why, in the itinerary section of this post, I thought it would be helpful to split all the places to visit in Kiev into area and day by day.

Kiev or Kyiv? The first day I posted something about Kiev on my Instagram Stories , I got a message from a young Ukrainian lady who was kind of upset because I spelled it Kiev instead of Kyiv. The fact is that Kyiv is the Ukrainian way of writing it and Kiev is the Russian transliteration, so given the current (and past) relationship between both countries, Ukrainians are a bit sensitive regarding this topic and, in any case, their spelling is the correct one, as the city was named after one of the three city’s founders, Kyi . As for me, in the article I am using Kiev because this is the term English-speaking people search for and, by any means, I don’t want to get political about it. In private, however, I will always spell it Kyiv. 

How to move around Kiev

Metro – As I said above, Kiev has two metro lines and one ticket costs as little as 8UAH, which is the equivalent of 0.30€. Something that surprised me about Kiev’s metro is that it is always very busy, no matter the time of the day.

Trams and city buses – Slower option but both tram and bus can take you literally everywhere. Google Maps can easily tell you which bus or tram number you should take when planning your route.

Taxi – It is easier if you download a taxi app and Bolt seems to be the most popular one.

Interested in visiting Minsk? Read my 3-day Minsk itinerary

Best places to stay in Kiev

Wherever you stay, I strongly recommend you stay close to a metro station and, if possible, near the center.

Otherwise, getting back home every day can be a time-consuming experience.

Where to stay in Podil area

Podil is the fashionable neighborhood where you can find the old pre-Soviet architecture. It is attached to downtown, is very well-connected and here you will find a wide array of bars, restaurants, and cafés.

Backpacker Hostel – Dream Hostel Kiev – Top backpacking hostel in the city, with a great traveling atmosphere and great location. A really good place.

Budget Apartment – Danchenko’s Apartment – In Kiev, booking an apartment is a popular thing to do.

A good hotel – Bursa Hotel – A nicely decorated hotel with a trendy style in the heart of Podil.

Where to stay in Pecherski (downtown)

This is the area around Independence Square and where you can find some of the most famous landmarks such as Saint Sophia Cathedral.

Backpacker Hostel – Friends Forever – A great hostel at the heart of downtown.

Mid-range Hotel – Ukraine Hotel – Surprisingly, the famous hotel that overlooks Independence Square isn’t expensive at all.

Things to do in Kiev in 4 days

These are, in my opinion, the unmissable places of any Kiev itinerary.

Map of what to see in Kiev in 4 days

Each pin color refers to a different day of your Kiev itinerary

Day 1 – Things to do in Kiev around Pecherski

This is basically downtown and the first place you need to visit in Kiev is Independence Square, the most central square and from where you can do a loop while stopping by a couple of landmarks.

Independence Square

Or Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Ukrainian is one of the most beautiful and impressive squares I have ever visited in Europe , and one of the most symbolic as well, as Maidan has witnessed quite a few particularly violent and important revolutions, the last one being the Euromaidan , a series of demonstrations that lasted for several months back in 2014, when many people were murdered by the police.

You may remember these events because it was all over the news.

Today, at least during my visit, there is a permanent outdoor exhibition with photos and memorials from the protests.

As I said, I suggest you come here first but this is also one of the best places in Kiev to see the sunset.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti is definitely, one of the best things to see in Kiev.

Interested in booking a walking tour around Kiev? CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Saint Sophia Cathedral

This gorgeous cathedral was the first place in Ukraine to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. As in many places around Ukraine , you need to purchase a separate ticket for each place within the complex, including general entrance, getting inside the cathedral, going up the bell tour, visiting museums, etc.

I think the general entrance cost me around 65UAH (2.40€) – which was already enough for me – but if you want to visit everything, you may need to spend nearly 10€.

Food tip – Between Saint Sophia and Golden Gate you will find the Milk Bar , a Ukrainian café specializing in fancy dairy products and traditional pastries. Everything they serve is amazing, seriously, and I recommend you order Ukrainian Syrniki , which are some sort of cottage cheese pancakes with sour cream and honey. Delicious.

Golden Gate

This place is advertised everywhere as one of the best things to do in Kiev but, in my opinion, it’s pretty boring.

Basically, these are the last remains from what used to be Kiev before the Mongolian invasion in the 13th century. What I liked, however, is that there was always a street musician playing in front of the gates.

National Opera 

A Viennese style building constructed in 1901. You can’t get inside unless you purchase tickets and you can check all the events on this link .

St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral

One of the most important Orthodox churches in Ukraine is the Little Prince-themed Volodymyr Cathedral, completed in 1896.

Bessarabsky Market

This is one of the busiest markets in Kiev, and a cool place to take a break because inside there is a craft beer place and a pretty authentic Vietnamese food stall run by actual Vietnamese. 

Day 2 – What to do in Kiev around Shevchenkivskyi

The area around Shevchenkivskyi and Pechersk Lavra is my most favorite place to visit in Kiev, as it contains a large variety of very different sights to check out.

Hydro Park (Island)

Nobody comes here but I seriously recommend you stop by.

Hydro Park is the island located in the Dnipro River right in front of the Lavra, and one of the top places to go in Kiev.

On the shores that overlook the Lavra, there is a restaurant serving beer and Khachapuri Megruli , and I swear it was the best Khachapuri I ever had outside of Georgia, and you can trust my judgment because I lived in Georgia for 7 months . 

We were sitting under the sun, with a beer, an excellent khachapuri, the best views of the Lavra and there wasn’t anybody else around!

Arsenalna metro station

According to the locals and Wikipedia , Arsenalna is the deepest metro station in the world (105m) but, according to other sources like World Atlas , there is an even deeper one in Pyongyang, North Korea (110m).

In any case, unless you travel to North Korea, Arsenalna is the deepest metro station you will ever see. To get out, you need to stand on the two escalators for nearly 4 minutes (I timed it).  By the way, this is the closest metro station to the Lavra.

Salute Hotel

The coolest Soviet thing to see in this part of Kiev is an old hotel with an extravagant cylindrical shape. It must be a pretty awesome hotel to stay for a few days, and it is not very expensive.

Holodomor Memorial

Holodomor, better known in the West as the Great Famine , was a famine that took place in the 30s when several million Ukrainians starved to death.

This unfortunate event, however, wasn’t a coincidence but it was a real genocide organized by Joseph Stalin himself in an attempt to eliminate Ukrainian nationalism.

There is so much to say about it and I recommend you read the full story here .

One of the most sobering, yet interesting, things to see in Kiev is visiting the Holodomor Memorial, which is also a museum where you can read several absolutely crazy stories from survivors of the Great Famine. A must-see. 

Food tip – Before Salute Hotel, there is a traditional Ukrainian restaurant named Varenichnaya Katyusha that serves all sorts of local food and is always packed with Kievans. They have all types of Ukrainian dishes but their specialty is varenyky , which are the local dumplings. 

Pechersk Lavra

The top tourist attraction in Kiev, Pechersk Lavra, is a massive Christian Complex and the headquarters for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Composed of several churches and cathedrals with white walls and shiny green and gold rooftops, Kiev Lavra is gorgeous, and spiritual. Most buildings you see here were built between the 11th and 18th centuries. 

The general entry ticket costs 80UAH and it allows you to climb the bell tower, as well as visiting the cave. I think this is more than enough but, if you are interested in visiting the museums and entering other churches, you will have to purchase separate tickets for each.

Want to visit the Lavra on a guided tour? CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Pechersky Park

This was something I wasn’t expecting. 

On my way to the Great Patriotic Museum, I bumped into a military exhibition.

Well, not one, but a few so if you are into military tanks, planes, and helicopters, Pechersky park has several outdoor exhibitions containing all types of military arsenal. Pretty cool. 

Some of the weaponry belongs to WWII and Soviet times but there are a couple of tanks (partially destroyed) that have been used during the ongoing war against Russia and each one has a plaque that tells the story of the tank and the soldiers that were riding in it. Some of the stories were pretty sad.

Great Patriotic War Museum and Motherland Monument

Soviets refer to World War II as the Great Patriotic War because it was a real conflict and struggle to protect their motherland, the Soviet Union, and the massive titanium statue that overlooks Kiev, wearing a sword and a shield with the hammer and sickle, represents precisely that.

If you can only visit one museum in Kiev, it should be this one.

Would you like to visit the museum with a professional guide? CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Day 3 – Places to visit in Kiev around Podil

Podil area is the most European part of town.

Zhytniy Soviet Market

The best way to start your day is to check out this local market located in a Modernist Soviet building . It was built in 1982 and the interior is characterized by its peculiar roof. 

Interesting to see in this market are all the salo stalls. I have never seen so many together. Salo is like slices of pork fat, very salty, and Ukrainians either have it as a snack or with borsch, the local beetroot soup. I found it pretty disgusting but for Ukrainians, it’s like a delicacy. Anyways, Zhytniy Market has tens of food stalls and the ladies will invite you to taste it.

Chernobyl Museum

Extremely disappointing.

I don’t recommend you visit this museum because there is nothing to see, not even to read, and if you want to know about the nuclear disaster just book a tour to the exclusion zone . CLICK HERE TO BOOK A TOUR TO CHERNOBYL

Kontraktova Square and around

Podil’s center and where you find a lot of bars and restaurants.

Beer Tip – In Kontraktova Square, there is a beer store called Hop Hey that sells several types of craft draft beer to take away, a concept which I haven’t seen anywhere else. I think they have several shops across the city but, if you want to skip the overpriced beer of Kontraktova, Hop Hey is a great alternative (drinking in the street is allowed in Kiev).

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery

The place where this pyramid of bright domes is built dates from the 11th century but it was demolished under Stalin’s command in 1937 and rebuilt afterwards shortly after independence. 

This is one of the most important religious places to visit in Kiev.

By the way, this monastery and the next places from the list are located in the upper part of Podil and to get there, you can get the funicular located right next to Poshtova Ploshcha metro station.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

I like Ukraine because today, religious places get mixed and camouflaged among Soviet stuff, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is a clear example because this is an impressive concrete Soviet building placed right next to an important Christian site, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

Saint Andrew’s Church

This Baroque-style church is one of the most emblematic things to do in Kiev, especially because from there, you get breathtaking views of Podil’s district. Check this great photo I took with my drone.

Kiev’s Old Town

Saint Andrew’s Church is the beginning of Kiev’s Old Town, a set of narrows alleys full of art galleries and painters that reminded me more of Paris than an Eastern European city.

Interested in booking a walking tour for your Kiev itinerary? CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Day 4 – Off the beaten track things to do in Kiev

If you are into quirky stuff, on your last day you may want to add the following places in your Kiev itinerary.

Tank Factory

Don’t get excited, not yet.

Around 20km from Kiev’s downtown, there is a functional tank factory but, as you may imagine, visits are not allowed.

The factory, however, has a tank graveyard which you may find if you are lucky because the industrial complex is huge. I personally walked all around the area and couldn’t find but I did find the tank road, which was a 500m muddy path full of tank marks that lead directly to a factory backdoor. 

Doing what I did was illegal so be aware of that and, if you want to try your luck, this is the location: 50.420848, 30.702709. There is a metro stop (Chernovyi Khutir) 2 or 3km away.

Kiev Crematorium

A great example of Soviet Modernism, Kiev Crematorium is one of the most unique Soviet buildings in Ukraine. As you may imagine, it is located in the middle of a cemetery, a pretty big one.

When we visited it, there were two funerals and it was a bit awkward, so we left pretty quickly.

If you like weird stuff, don’t forget to check the 7 most offbeat things to visit in Belarus

Underground Kiev

To be very honest, I didn’t take this tour but one of the coolest things to do in Kiev is visiting its underground tunnel system and checking out a nuclear bunker from the Cold War.

Kiev Circus and Obelisk Hero City

Not that offbeat because it is not far from downtown, but if you are interested in Soviet stuff, you can check out the Soviet Circus and the Obelisk Hero City, which commemorates the defense of the city during WWII and which has a Gold Star on its top, a symbol of heroism in the Soviet Union.

Best day trips from Kiev

The capital of Ukraine is also an excellent base for doing a few cool day trips.

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

You already know about Chernobyl , so I won’t go into details, but the exclusion zone is 150km north of Kiev and, if you want to visit it, you must go on a tour (you can’t visit it independently).

Strategic Missile Museum

Seriously, this was one of the best places I visited in the whole Ukraine, an old Soviet nuclear missile launch facility today turned into an awesome museum where, besides checking out all the military nuclear arsenal, you can also get into one of the silos and the underground control room. Really worth the trip and my full review is on its way.

144km northeast of Kiev you find Chernihiv, a UNESCO World Heritage city and one of the most beautiful in Ukraine, containing beautiful churches and old architecture.

Despite being so close to Kiev, not many travelers decide to take this day trip but I personally think it is an unmissable attraction to visit from Kiev.

For more day trips, you can read this post from Kathmandu and Beyond . 

More information for visiting Kiev

📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.

Book your tour to Kiev

All guides and articles for traveling in Ukraine destination

• Travel Guide to Chernobyl
• Ukraine Travel Guide
• Lviv Travel Guide
• Ukraine Itinerary

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10 comments

Hard to take anything you say seriously after stating in the very beginning that Kyiv has only two metro lines.. haha

You are right, it was a small mistake. It has 3, not 2. After Kiev, I flew to Minsk, which only has 2 metro stations, that’s why the confusion. In any case, it doesn’t change anything. The city is too big for just having 3 metro stations.

I was just wondering. If you have any guided tours.? Any of these places you go?

Thank you for such a deep and wide view of Kyiv. After reading this article, I’m inspired to explore some new places of this vibrant city you’ve mentioned, that I didn’t know about, despite being a Ukrainian.

Thanks Iryna! It was a pleasure meeting you in Lviv 🙂

Thanks for the helpful article (and your blog, generally)! Regarding the Strategic Missile Museum, how did you get down here? Is there public transit, and any memory of how much it would cost? Thanks.

Hey! It was around 15USD per person, more or less. I went there from Kharkiv, doing several train/bus/hitchhiking combinations. It took me 2 days!

Ohh! Thank you so much for these warm words and a review of Kyiv city! As a tour guide in Kyiv, I am happy to read pleasant words, not only critique..Kyiv can definitely impress those who come for the first time and almost all my guests always want to come back, and explore more of it!

This is such a great, helpful article! Kyiv is such a special city that I loved, and what’s happening in Ukraine right now is horrific and I’m praying it’s over imminently. The people are warm and friendly and I cannot wait to visit this beautiful city and people again one day.

I can’t believe how an update on 13th September 2023 can fail to mention the war! Which was what I was interested in. An earlier review on TripAdvisor mentioned how crowded buses were and the difficulties finding a seat on long haul routes such as to Warsaw. A much more useful review would contain practical information instead of just being another puff piece. So 5 out of 10 for highlighting places to visit.

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Your NHS pregnancy journey

See a midwife or GP as soon as you find out you're pregnant. This is so they can book your pregnancy (antenatal) care and make sure you get all the information and support you need to have a healthy pregnancy.

Your first appointment with a midwife should happen before you're 10 weeks pregnant.

If you're more than 10 weeks pregnant and have not seen a GP or midwife, contact a GP or midwife as soon as possible. They'll see you quickly and help you start your pregnancy (antenatal) care.

What is pregnancy (antenatal) care?

This is the care you have while you're pregnant to make sure you and your baby are as well as possible.

The NHS in England will offer you:

• 10 pregnancy appointments (7 if you've had a child before) to check the health and development of you and your baby
• screening tests to find out the chance of your baby having certain conditions, such as Down's syndrome
• blood tests to check for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B
• screening for inherited blood disorders (sickle cell and thalassaemia)

You'll be offered more appointments if you or your baby need them.

Depending on your health and where you live, you may see:

• a midwife for all your appointments
• a midwife for some appointments and a GP for others

How do I start my pregnancy care?

As soon as you find out you're pregnant you can book an appointment with:

• local midwife services ( find maternity services near you )
• your GP (if you're not registered with a GP you can find local GPs )

Your first midwife appointment

This appointment lasts around an hour.

Your midwife will ask questions to make sure you get the care that's right for you.

They will ask about:

• where you live and who you live with
• your partner, if you have one
• the baby's biological father's medical history
• any other pregnancies or children
• smoking, alcohol and drug use
• whether you've had fertility treatment
• your physical and mental health, and any issues or treatment you've had in the past
• any health issues in your family
• your job, if you have one

Find out more about what happens at your first midwife appointment .

When and where will my appointments be?

Find out more about when you'll have your antenatal appointments .

Your appointments can take place at:

• a Children's Centre
• a GP surgery

You'll usually go to the hospital for your pregnancy scans.

What can I do now for me and my baby?

It's important not to miss any of your antenatal appointments. Some of the tests and measurements that can find possible problems have to be done at specific times.

There are also things you can do to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible in pregnancy, including:

• not smoking
• not drinking alcohol
• getting some exercise that's safe in pregnancy
• having a healthy pregnancy diet
• knowing which foods to avoid in pregnancy
• taking a folic acid supplement and thinking about taking a vitamin D supplement
• knowing how to avoid infections that may harm your unborn baby , and symptoms to look out for
• knowing which vaccinations you should get
• knowing about baby movements in pregnancy
• knowing how to cope with feelings, worries and relationships in pregnancy

What if I have a health condition?

If you have a health condition, for example diabetes or asthma, these can affect your pregnancy. Pregnancy can also affect any conditions you have.

Do not stop taking your medicine until you've talked with your doctor.

Page last reviewed: 1 August 2022 Next review due: 1 August 2025