Public health nurse

stickybean

Hey just a quick question... how do you find out who you public health nurse is? Our consultant told us to find out, had a quick look online but can't seem to find it.

Brioscai

Why do you need to know? Usually after the baby is born you'll be directed to your local office. Someone calls to the house after a week or so and checks the baby (size weight, reflexes, asks you questions about the delivery). Then they give you details of the local bottlefeeding/ breastfeeding clinic. Good luck.

stickybean

He just mentioned it at my last visit to find out who our local phn was. We're attending Holles street and the midwifes don't cover our area. He said it would be useful to know and also our local gp

Toots

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/healthcentres/

This link should help you find your local health centre, if you give them a buzz or drop in they can tell you who your PHN is. There might be more than one.

Brioscai

Are you new to your area Stickybean? Someone here could recommend GP if you need one.

Edups

AFAIK you don't get assigned a phn till after birth.

Merkin

stickybean wrote: »

He just mentioned it at my last visit to find out who our local phn was. We're attending Holles street and the midwifes don't cover our area. He said it would be useful to know and also our local gp

Just phone your GP and ask them. Where are you based in Dublin and maybe someone here can tell you?

lazygal

I saw a few of them, it seemed to depend on the rota in place. Unless there are child protection issues I don't understand why you were told to know them in advance. They called me in the hospital both times to organise a home visit after I was discharged.

stickybean

We are living here a few years and I have a GP local enough (thankfully we don't often need her).

No child protection issues Lazygal. He just asked if we knew our PHN, which I don't (as we've never needed one) and said it would be useful if we could find out.

Thanks for the information all, I will try the website mentioned and contact my GP reception and ask them

lazygal

I actually don't know anyone who had a relationship with their PHN system before their child was born, so it's a bit of a new one on me.

If I have more, I won't bother with the PHN visits. I found their advice at best old fashioned and at worst downright wrong.

Edups

stickybean wrote: »

We are living here a few years and I have a GP local enough (thankfully we don't often need her).

No child protection issues Lazygal. He just asked if we knew our PHN, which I don't (as we've never needed one) and said it would be useful if we could find out.

Thanks for the information all, I will try the website mentioned and contact my GP reception and ask them

It's not likely your GP will know. In my area there's 3 PHN's and I was assigned one. Contact your local HSE clinic, but again they probably won't know yet.

Ninjini

lazygal wrote: »

If I have more, I won't bother with the PHN visits. I found their advice at best old fashioned and at worst downright wrong.

Can you refuse the PHN visits? I always assumed they were mandatory.

lazygal

Ninjini wrote: »

Can you refuse the PHN visits? I always assumed they were mandatory.

You can. They'll probably be annoyed about it but it's your choice. I declined visits and checkups after a year or so. None of their services were necessary for us.

StarBright01

I was just wondering as well how it works and just put up another thread....funny!

spottybananas

Afaik PHN's basically get a list of who has had babies and contact them. There are 3 in my area and when my son was 3 days old one rang me to see how I was doing as she knew I'd had the baby, knew we were still in hospital and was asking when I'd be home for her to visit.

Digs

lazygal wrote: »

I actually don't know anyone who had a relationship with their PHN system before their child was born, so it's a bit of a new one on me.

If I have more, I won't bother with the PHN visits. I found their advice at best old fashioned and at worst downright wrong.

Shows how everyones experience is different luckily. I had the same PHN on both babies and she is superb. Her breastfeeding clinic saved me on more than one occasion.

lazygal

Digs wrote: »

Shows how everyones experience is different luckily. I had the same PHN on both babies and she is superb. Her breastfeeding clinic saved me on more than one occasion.

I've heard more negative than positive. Maybe it depends on the area. I had three or four different ones dealing with me at different times and every time the advice contradicted WHO guidelines on weaning and breastfeeding.

Digs

lazygal wrote: »

I've heard more negative than positive. Maybe it depends on the area. I had three or four different ones dealing with me at different times and every time the advice contradicted WHO guidelines on weaning and breastfeeding.

I appreciate that but it's anecdotal much the same as me sharing my experiences. I've heard more positive than negative thankfully myself.

dori_dormer

I think sometimes the Irish guidelines are behind who guidelines and a lot of the older phns don't care to update themselves. I've lived in 3 different areas over the last 3 yrs and although their opinions on weaning, sleep training etc wouldn't be up my alley, I'm glad I kept them up. Mainly for referrals for my oldest speech therapy and BF clinic, and the youngest has had issues thriving and I've a physio appointment for myself through them. Much easier to go to the appointment every few months and keep the relationship. Even if you don't fully agree with everything they say.

Edups

lazygal wrote: »

every time the advice contradicted WHO guidelines on weaning and breastfeeding.

The WHO? The same "health" organization that for years demanded homosexuality was a disease? Yeah a very trust worthy source.

Orion

Edups wrote: »

The WHO? The same "health" organization that for years demanded homosexuality was a disease? Yeah a very trust worthy source.

In 1948. Slightly different culture back then. Regardless - please stay on topic - this is irrelevant to the discussion.

Gatica

Found the PHN to be great. Ours visited us frequently because baby was jaundiced and we'd difficulty breastfeeding her as well.
It was great to have someone give us advice and reassurance whether she was improving or doing well.
Visited GP and found that the PHN already covered everything, plus she comes to the house instead of me going to the surgery.

Lucyfur

Mine is lovely. She rang the day I was discharged to see if I was OK and had a pump (baby was in NICU). She's been round twice since she was discharged. She just weighs her and makes sure feeding is going well for us.

Lucyfur

And just to add to the above, I rang my PHN at 9am as I was struggling with breastfeeding. She had an appointment set up with a lactation consultant for today within 2 hours of calling her

January

I love mine too, haven't seen her in about a year but have had her since we moved here on number 2 baby nearly 7 years ago. My first one was a bit of a dragon, prying into my personal business (assumed I was a single mother in a council house as my husband was at work when she arrived up and because our house was an ex-council house) but otherwise was great with giving advice etc.

My one now has always been so nice, good advice and so helpful when organising appts.

sillysocks

I think it's very hit and miss whether you get a good PHN. Mine is terrible-a big pain in the @&€! To be honest when I see her I just tell her what she wants to hear to get the appointment finished as quick as possible. In saying that I've not really had any issues I'd have needed her for.

When my second child was born she was on holidays and the covering PHN couldn't have been nicer and I would have loved if she was my regular one.

Apart from the first house visit, and then the developmental checks I've never used her. At the first house visit she was totally contradicting things the midwives in the hospital had told me and on my first baby I found that so confusing and frustrating.

ShaShaBear

The PHN that called to me on both my girls was ATROCIOUS. Older lady with absolutely no clue what she was going on about. Neither time she called ahead, just arrived at the address on my registration forms and expected to be let in. On my first, I went to my mother's for a few days and this woman lost it when my brother answered my door and told her I wasn't there! Breastfeeding absolutely did not exist to her and despite baby being on the breast during both visits, she continued to insist I be shown how to correctly make and store formula bottles. When I told her I freeze my breast milk, she flipped because "You absolutely cannot freeze formula!"
With the second baby, I asked her if she could tell me if she had oral thrush as I had huge problems feeding. She checked her mouth and said "Ah that white coating is normal after they've had a bottle" (she just watched me take her off the breast) and then proceeded to tell me that I should invest in a Perfect Prep machine to save time on the formula making! :mad:
I made a complaint and got changed to a much younger PHN. She's very much by the book but was a midwife before she was a PHN and was very attentive and informative. Got two very fast referrals for my first girl and even organised my check-ups for both girls to co-incide so I wouldn't have to come twice

But to the OP, I only know the PHNs since having my babies. Before that I didn't have a clue! I know who I'll be asking for next time though!

Orion

Did you report her for recommending formula? That's very much against HSE policy.

ShaShaBear

Orion wrote: »

Did you report her for recommending formula? That's very much against HSE policy.

I did indeed, got a very gentle "Ah I understand where you're coming from but Mrs. X has been at this a long time and is just set in her ways and means no harm by it. Sure just go on as you are and you'll be grand".
:rolleyes:

Roesy

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I did indeed, got a very gentle "Ah I understand where you're coming from but Mrs. X has been at this a long time and is just set in her ways and means no harm by it. Sure just go on as you are and you'll be grand".
:rolleyes:

Out of curiosity who was it you reported her to? Wouldn't be happy with that response at all!!

ShaShaBear

Roesy wrote: »

Out of curiosity who was it you reported her to? Wouldn't be happy with that response at all!!

The health office she was stationed in and the main health centre in my county. Granted at a county level they were more sympathetic but I was still subtly informed that little to nothing would be done about it. To be honest, even my new health nurse (who I'm waiting to hear on this past two months for my kid's 9 month check) doesn't really offer me anything that my GP doesn't, and he's a lot easier to get a hold of if concerns arise!

appledrop

My PHN is superb. This is our first child + we had a tough time with the little guy at the beginning as he had reflux + was slow to be on weight. She wasn't too worried about the weight but I was so she booked in extra visits for me to weight him. She also gave advise on different things we could try for reflux till we got is sorted. She always checked with me a date + time that would suit.

I think some people here are being a bit harsh. The PHN can only offer advice + guidelines. Every child is going to be different so you may have to adapt them to suit your child but they can't follow every latest fad.

Edups

appledrop wrote: »

My PHN is superb. This is our first child + we had a tough time with the little guy at the beginning as he had reflux + was slow to be on weight. She wasn't too worried about the weight but I was so she booked in extra visits for me to weight him. She also gave advise on different things we could try for reflux till we got is sorted. She always checked with me a date + time that would suit.

I think some people here are being a bit harsh. The PHN can only offer advice + guidelines. Every child is going to be different so you may have to adapt them to suit your child but they can't follow every latest fad.

Proper childcare is not a fad. Neither is breastfeeding, and any PHN advising the child be put on formula and being so behind in the times she gets the fear about freezing breast milk shouldn't be a practicing nurse.

appledrop

Obviously in that particular case the PHN was wrong+ was stuck in the 70s with her advice on breastfeeding. But I don't think it's fair to sat that a lot of them are useless as ours is excellent.

ShaShaBear

appledrop wrote: »

Obviously in that particular case the PHN was wrong+ was stuck in the 70s with her advice on breastfeeding. But I don't think it's fair to sat that a lot of them are useless as ours is excellent.

No which is why I didn't say that - the replacement PHN I fought for is far better and very pleasant and helpful

Lucyfur

ShaSha the phn I had with my first child was just like yours. Old school and completely discouraged breastfeeding. That's a good few years ago but I'm delighted to see so many things have changed since last time round!