After your baby is born

Registering a child’s birth

All babies must be registered with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages within 42 days of the birth. If you are married, either parent may register the baby. If you are single, you are responsible for registering the baby. If you are single but you want your partner’s name to appear on the birth certificate, your partner must be present with you at the time of registration.

It is quick and easy to book your appointment online. Go to: surreycc.gov.uk/birth or for help with online booking please call: 0300 200 1002

You can book an appointment to register the birth at one of these register offices in Surrey:

• Camberley
• Leatherhead
• Farnham
• Reigate
• Guildford
• Weybridge

If you live in West Sussex, you can choose to register your baby in Surrey or at a West Sussex office. For help with booking for West Sussex please call 01243 642122

Birth Reflections Service

Royal Surrey has a Birth Reflections service which offers you the chance to talk about and reflect upon your birth experience.

This can help you to make sense of what happened and answer any questions you may have. Talking through your experience may also help you to prepare and plan for future pregnancies.

Would Birth Reflections be useful for me?

Sometimes giving birth can result in unexpected events that you may have felt unprepared for. This can leave you with questions about events that took place and it is not uncommon to be unable to remember every detail of your birth experience.

When should I access Birth Reflections

Our Birth Reflections Midwife attends the postnatal ward regularly. If you feel you would benefit from this service while stayih with us, please speak to the Shere ward team. You may be seen before you are discharged home but if this is not possible, you will be contacted within 14 days.

There is no time limit on when you should access Birth Reflections. If your experience was recent, and you have gone home, it may be useful to speak with your community midwife at your postnatal visit as they may be able to answer your questions.

If you have been dischared from midwifery care you can self refer to the Birth Reflections Service (see below). Please note that a screening process needs to be completed prior to you appointment to assess the suitability of the service for your needs. This scrrening cannot be performed before six weeks postnatal.

How to access the Birth Reflections Service?

The best way to access the service is to email rsch.birthreflections@nhs.net

A midwife will then contact you and arrange a mutually convenient time to meet with you. This can be in person or virtually.

What happens at a Birth Reflections appointment?

The midwife can go through your notes and explain the timeline of events and help you understand why certain events happened during your labour and birth. This service is an information sharing service, and not a counselling service.