After your baby is born
Within hours of birth, your maternity service may provide a home visit service to support you to go home early. This enables you to be cared for in the comfort of your own home with supportive midwifery care provided by regular visits from your hospital's home midwifery service. If you choose or need to stay in hospital, your care will be provided in the hospital’s postnatal unit. For most women, pregnancy and birth is a healthy experience, which does not necessitate a long stay in hospital.
Sometimes, babies requiring care in the special care nursery or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) may need a longer hospital stay than the mother. In these instances, you may be discharged from hospital before your baby, if you no longer need hospital care. NICU is situated at John Hunter Hospital and special care nurseries are available at Maitland, Manning, Armidale and Tamworth.
Within the first 2 weeks of arriving home with your baby, you will receive a universal home visit from a child and family health nurse. The child and family health nurse provides free support and advice on many topics including feeding and nutrition, normal infant behaviour, sleep and settling, toddler behaviour, child safety, immunisation, play and development.
You'll be contacted by our child and family nursing heath team soon after discharge to organise your first home visit.
During your stay in the postnatal ward, you'll be supported by midwives who will assist you to develop the skills to care for your baby. There are educational films on the hospital television as well as inpatient education sessions on the ward such a baby bathing demonstration. These are all great opportunities to gain confidence as new parents.
When you first arrive at the postnatal ward, the midwife caring for you will discuss a plan of care for your stay including discharge planning.
Our hospital postnatal wards rooms may vary depending on your birthing hospital, but you may need to stay in a shared room of up to 4 beds. This means that family members are unable to stay overnight with you and your baby. There are a very small number of single rooms available. Women with more complicated postnatal stays are allocated to the single rooms as first priority. We also attempt to meet the needs of women who have private health insurance by offering a single room whenever possible.
Rooming-in
It is important not to separate mothers from their babies, so mothers keep their baby at the bedside with them, 24 hours a day.
Skin-to-skin is encouraged for a minimum of 1 hour after the birth or until the first breastfeed. Skin to skin contact stimulates your production of the oxytocin hormone, which decreases bleeding, promotes bonding and breastfeeding. It allows the baby to smell, touch and know mum as well as stay warm.
The midwives will assist and provide support with all aspects of baby’s care.
There is also a mother and baby care board near each bed which is a very useful way to request support. We also ask that this board is used to communicate with the staff if you are leaving the ward for any reason.
Visitors
We acknowledge that new mothers need rest and so we encourage a rest period on the wards, generally between 1pm and 3pm each day. Find out the visiting hours of your hospital.
We also request that visitors are up to date with the whooping cough vaccination when visiting new babies, and if feeling unwell with colds and flu-like illness, please avoid visiting new mothers and babies.
Get more information for patients, carers and visitors.
Keeping you and your baby safe in hospital
Sometimes mothers to be and new mothers can fall while in hospital and cause injury particularly if they are tired, or if they have recently had an anaesthetic (including an epidural), pain medication or heavy bleeding.
We request that you:
- use your call bell if you require assistance
- wear safe footwear at all times
- take your time when moving about
- use a shower chair when showering
- use a light as required during the nighttime.
It's important also to keep your baby safe from falling. We ask you to ensure that your baby:
- is placed on their back to sleep and placed in their own cot placed next to your bed
- is never left unattended on an adult bed or other surface from which they can fall
- is always in their own cot while being transported. Walking around with your baby in your arms is not encouraged.
We do not encourage sleeping with your baby as babies can fall or have sleep accidents. Learn more about safe sleeping for babies.
Please ensure that visitors are aware of these important factors to keep your baby safe.
We recognise that babies like to feel safe in their mum's arms, but sometimes tired mums can fall asleep with their babies and babies can then easily fall from their mums' hold.
What happens to the placenta (afterbirth)?
After the birth of your baby, the placenta will be disposed of in accordance with NSW Health Guidelines. You may choose to take your placenta home with you, please let the midwife know prior to birth.
On some occasions the placenta may be sent to the pathology department, for extra information.
Stem cell collection and storage
If you are interested in the collection of stem cells from your baby’s cord blood for possible future use, you need to organise this with one of the private companies several weeks before coming to hospital to birth your baby. You will need to organise the collection, equipment, courier service and storage with the private company.
Discharging home
Discuss with your midwife your needs for discharge. Ensure that you arrange on the previous evening for someone to collect you.
Discharge time on the postnatal ward is usually between the hours of 9am-10am.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Children's Hospital in Newcastle provides highly specialised, family-centred care for sick and premature newborns.
Sometimes babies requiring care in the NICU may need a longer hospital stay than the mother. In these instances, the mother will be discharged from hospital before the baby.
For families who live out of area, limited accommodation may be available at Ronald McDonald House, which is located on the grounds of John Hunter Hospital. Please discuss these options with the staff on the postnatal ward or in NICU.
For most women, pregnancy and birth is a healthy experience. You may prefer to take advantage of the home midwifery service offered by your hospital and discharge home with your baby 4 to 6 hours after birth or within a couple of days.
Please ensure that you are at home for the stated time of the visit and that any animals on the property are restrained.
Depending on the hospital where you receive care, your midwife will:
- visit you in the comfort of your own home giving you one-to-one advice and support
- visit between 9.30am and 4pm
- text message you on the morning of your planned home visit with an estimated time of arrival
- support you with feeding your baby
- advise you on helping your baby to sleep
- support with caring for your baby such as bathing
- weigh your baby
- perform blood tests for your baby
- complete your postnatal check
- provide you with support and reassurance
- put you in contact with our Child and Family Health Nursing Service for home visits
Routine screening as outlined in the NSW Health Having a Baby book will be offered in the early postnatal days.
A physiotherapist will examine your baby’s hips to check for any hip problems, depending on your hospital.
You will be offered a screening test for hearing for your baby soon after birth. About 1 to 2 babies out of every 1,000 will have a significant hearing loss. This screening program is called the NSW Statewide Infant Screening Hearing program (SWISH), and is available in the postnatal ward or at your local early childhood and family centre if you go home early.
Newborn Bloodspot Screening will be done around day 3-4 by your midwife or a pathology technician.
| Time after birth of baby | Care for baby |
|---|---|
| The day of birth | Vitamin K (Konakion)
|
| 1-5 days | Hearing check (needs to be attended before 4 weeks of age):
|
| 1-5 days | Hip check:
|
| 2-3 days | Newborn bloodspot screen:
|
| Approx 2 weeks | Home visit by Child and Family Health Nurse:
|
| 2 weeks (if needed) | Visit your GP:
|
| 6 weeks | Visit your GP:
|
Physiotherapy after your birth
Depending on your birthing hospital, a physiotherapist may be able to support you for individualised advice and exercise strategies following the birth of your baby while in hospital or as an outpatient if that is recommended.
Contraception
It is possible to fall pregnant immediately after giving birth even if you are breastfeeding. Contraception will usually be discussed towards the end of your pregnancy. In special circumstances, this can be organised soon after birth while in hospital.
If you're breastfeeding, then it is important not to start the combined oral contraceptive pill as it may affect your milk supply. Your options will include progesterone-only pills (the mini pill), a progesterone implant or progesterone injection given every third month.
Ask your GP/obstetrician/midwife for more information at your 6-week appointment.
Postnatal follow up with your GP
We recommend that you and your baby visit your local GP within 2 weeks after birth.
At this appointment:
- organise a six-week appointment for a postnatal check
- your baby should have a complete routine head-to-toe check up
- discuss contraception with you GP
- have a plan when your next cervical screening is due
- discuss current medications and follow-up scripts required
- have perineal suturing reviewed or caesarean wound check
- discuss any discomforts that you may be experiencing including incontinence
- discuss your emotional wellbeing.
You will need to organise another follow-up with your GP in 6 weeks for another routine postnatal check. We recommend booking this before you give birth. A full complete postnatal review should be attended at this appointment which may include:
- blood tests (as required).
- breast check
- blood pressure
- cervical screening
- perineal stitches or caesarean section wound
- discuss any incontinence you may be experiencing
- emotional wellbeing.