After birth once you're home
When a baby is born, the local council of the mother’s home address is notified and a Maternal and Child Health Nurse (MCHN) in that area is assigned. Within one week of going home, the MCHN will visit you and your baby at home (if this does not happen, please contact your local council). At this visit, the MCHN will check that you are recovering normally, and that your baby is feeding well and putting on weight. Subsequently, the MCHN will arrange a program of visits for your baby at the local Maternal and Child Health Centre. If your MCHN is concerned about your baby, she may recommend that you see your local general practitioner (GP) or that you contact us for advice. In an emergency, she might even send you and your baby to hospital.
Most babies feed well, put on weight and have no active medical problems. These healthy babies do not need to come back and see us, but all babies need a routine check at six weeks to ensure that their newborn examination has remained normal. A general practitioner (GP) is the ideal person to perform this examination. If you don’t have a GP in your area, ask your MCHN (or a friend in the area who has children) for a recommendation. Every baby, infant and child should have a local GP in case they develop an illness that requires an immediate review in the community.
Melbourne Neonatal Network will continue to provide ongoing specialist care for your baby if required. We provide telephone and email support, so please contact us if you have any concerns (there is no additional charge for this support). It may be necessary for your baby to come back and see us in our consulting rooms (this service is associated with an additional fee). The referral from your obstetrician lasts for three months from the date of your baby's birth; if a further referral is required, this should be provided by your GP.
Our neonatal paediatricians have written some helpful articles on some of the most asked questions new parents have about their babies. This can be found under FAQ's on our website. Refer to the individual doctors' pages for the cost of these services.