The Postpartum Newborn Home Visit (PPNBHV) is a free, no cost to you, service for new moms and their babies. Health Department nurses provide visits to eligible families. Ask your doctor or nurse to make a referral or write an order for a visit. You may contact your local Health Department for more information about scheduling a home visit at Public Health Clinics | SCDHEC
A nurse will review the referral and have a member of staff contact you to schedule an in-home or virtual visit.
DHEC prioritizes visits for moms/babies with high risk factors:
- Mothers 17 years of age or younger
- Infants weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces at birth
- Infants born prematurely (<37 weeks gestation)
The nurse will usually spend 1-2 hours with you and your baby to assure you both are doing well.
What will the Nurse Do?
- Ask you about how you and your baby are doing
- Weigh your baby
- Do a physical exam on your baby
- Check your blood pressure
- Do a partial physical exam on you, if needed
- Help you with getting health care provider's appointments for you and your baby
- Offer you a barrier method of birth control (condoms)
- Refer you to other community resources as needed (Things like WIC, BabyNet, local parenting groups, and others)
To help you care for your baby, the nurse will talk to you about:
- Well Baby Care
- Immunizations for your baby
- Ways to keep your baby safe at home, while sleeping, in the car, and at other places
- Ways to keep your baby healthy
- Taking care of your baby's skin, mouth, umbilical cord, circumcision.
- Breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding your baby
- Signs and symptoms of illness
- Developmental milestones
To help you care for yourself, the nurse will talk to you about:
- Breast care
- Signs and symptoms of illness
- Postpartum hygiene
- Postpartum activity
- Postpartum depression, anxiety, and mood
- Sleep needs
- Nutritional needs
- Birth control methods
- Prevention of sexually transmitted infections
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Pre-Discharge Home Visit
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Pre-Discharge Home Visit is a service provided to families of eligible infants who are ready to go home from the hospital after a stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. These visits are provided at no cost to you by a public health nurse prior to hospital discharge when ordered by the baby's doctor or nurse.
For more information, contact your local health department or call the phone number for the county where you live on this brochure:
Other Resources:
- HealthyChildren.org - From the American Academy of Pediatrics
- CDC's Developmental Milestones | CDC
- Mom's IMPACTT: IMProving Access to Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Care Through Telemedicine and Tele-Mentoring | MUSC Health | Charleston SC
- South Carolina Chapter of Postpartum Support International (psichapters.com)
- Text4baby
- CDC Hear Her Campaign
- CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule
- SCDHEC Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program
- American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended Preventive Pediatric Health Care