The First Six Weeks in Utah Valley: A Week-by-Week Postpartum Map of Who to Call, What Is Due, and What Is Free

Elly Giordano Contributing Writer, Provo.com How we make Provo.com

The six weeks after a birth are mostly the same everywhere: little sleep, a lot of feeding, a body recovering from something enormous. What changes from place to place is the phone list. This page is Utah County's, laid out in the order you will need it.

This is a map of resources, not medical advice. Your own provider and your baby's pediatrician are the people to call about your health and your baby's.

Before anything else: the warning signs

Utah's Maternal and Infant Health Program publishes a list of urgent maternal warning signs for pregnancy and the full year after birth. If you have any of these, contact your provider right away. If you cannot reach them, go to the emergency room or call 911, and tell them you were pregnant within the last year.

• A headache that will not go away or gets worse, especially with vision changes
• Dizziness or fainting
• Changes in vision: flashes, blind spots, blurring or double vision
• A fever of 100.4°F or higher
• Extreme swelling of the hands or face
• Trouble breathing, chest pain, or a fast or irregular heartbeat
• Severe belly pain that does not go away
• Vaginal bleeding or discharge after pregnancy
• Severe swelling, redness or pain in a leg or arm (the state flags this through six weeks after birth)
• Overwhelming tiredness that sleep does not fix
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. Call or text 988 at any hour.

Put this list on the fridge, and tell whoever is staying with you that it is there.

The phone list

Add your OB or midwife's after-hours line and your pediatrician's nurse line to the same note.

Days 1 to 3: in the hospital

• Ask about feeding help before you leave. Timpanogos Regional and Mountain View say lactation consultants support breastfeeding during the postpartum stay, and Intermountain runs outpatient lactation clinics at American Fork, Orem Community and Spanish Fork hospitals.
• Ask how the birth certificate and Social Security application are handled. Our vital records guide covers ordering certified copies later.
• Expect a mental health questionnaire. Utah's provider toolkit recommends screening one or two days after birth, again at two and six weeks, and at well-baby visits. Answer truthfully.
• Car seat installed and checked. Utah law requires a child restraint for every child under 8, used as the manufacturer directs. Free checks: Utah County Health Department, 801-851-7513. See our car-seat guide.

Week 1: the deadlines

• Add the baby to your health plan. Federal rules for group health plans give at least 30 days, with coverage starting on the date of birth, but call this week. On Medicaid, the baby is covered through the month of the first birthday; report the birth to DWS at 1-866-435-7414.
• The first pediatrician visit. Ask the hospital or the practice when it should be. Our pediatrician guide covers choosing one and the early schedule.
• WIC, if you might qualify. WIC serves women up to one year postpartum and children until their fifth birthday. The Utah County income limit for a family of three is $50,542 a year (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), and families on Medicaid or SNAP qualify automatically. Call or text 801-851-7300. Details: WIC, Medicaid and Baby Your Baby.
• Feeding problems? The health department's free breastfeeding consultations are open to anyone. Our lactation guide lists the clinics and helplines.

Weeks 2 and 3: the mood check

Utah's maternal health guidance draws the line here. The baby blues are common and usually fade within about two weeks. If you are not feeling like yourself two or three weeks after the birth, or caring for yourself or the baby has become hard, the state says it may be more than the blues. That applies to partners too.

Utah County resources, in order of urgency:

• 988 for crisis
• Wasatch Behavioral Health's Receiving and Outreach Center, 1175 East 300 North, Provo, open 24 hours
• 1-833-852-6262 to talk to a counselor now
• PSI Utah's support groups, including a free postpartum group in American Fork on the first and third Wednesdays at noon (801-683-6830)

The full list is in our postpartum mental health guide.

Weeks 3 and 4: help that comes to you

• Home visits. The Utah County Health Department's home visitation office, running since 1987, offers Nurse-Family Partnership (a nurse visits weekly or every other week during pregnancy and after birth) and Parents as Teachers (a parent educator visits families with young children). Their visitors answer questions like whether the baby is getting enough milk and how to lower the risk of SIDS.
• A break. Family Haven in Orem runs a free respite nursery for children from newborn to 11. Enroll, then schedule; parents can book a weekly break or time for appointments. 801-229-1181.
• Getting out. Most Utah County city libraries run baby or toddler storytimes on weekday mornings; our storytime schedule has the days. The lower Provo River Parkway is the flat, paved stroller walk; see our Parkway guide.

Weeks 4 to 6: your own checkup

• The postpartum visit. Utah's maternal mental health toolkit cites ACOG guidance for a comprehensive postpartum visit no later than 12 weeks after birth, covering physical, social and psychological well-being. Make the appointment if it is not already on the calendar, and bring a list.
• If you had gestational diabetes, Utah's maternal health program says to keep a checkup 6 to 12 weeks after delivery and have your blood sugar tested.
• Birth spacing. The state's guidance is that experts agree waiting 18 months before the next pregnancy is best for mother and baby, and it lists birth control methods generally compatible with breastfeeding. Ask at the visit.
• Coverage. Utah Medicaid's Pregnant Woman program continues through 12 months after the pregnancy ends, so the postpartum visit and follow-up care are covered for those enrolled.
• Going back to work? Federal law requires most employers to give break time and a private, non-bathroom space to pump for a year after birth. Partners' leave rules are in our new dad's guide.

If something felt wrong about the birth

Utah's health department lists a complicated or traumatic birth, and birth or postpartum expectations that were not met, among the experiences that raise the risk of perinatal depression and anxiety. The Utah Maternal Mental Health Referral Network at maternalmentalhealth.utah.gov lists therapists trained in birth trauma. Wanting to talk it through is not an overreaction.

Where this fits

For the bigger, less time-bound advice (sleep, visitors, gear, bills), read the new parent survival guide. For the pregnancy and hospital decisions that come before all this, read having a baby in Utah Valley.

Related Guides

• The New Parent Survival Guide to Utah Valley
• Postpartum Mental Health in Utah Valley
• Lactation Consultants and Breastfeeding Support in Utah Valley
• WIC, Medicaid for Kids and Baby Your Baby in Utah County
• Finding a Pediatrician in Utah Valley

Elly Giordano

Contributing Writer

Elly Giordano is a contributing writer at Provo.com covering outdoor recreation, health and wellness, and Utah Valley's growing food and drink scene. She is an avid hiker and trail runner who knows the Wasatch foothills well, and she reads and reviews every guide on her beat before it is published. When she's not on the trails, she's on the volleyball court, where she plays setter for her college team.

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