Maternity: Your Stay

Your Stay

Nursing Care

Our care is aimed at meeting your physical, emotional and educational needs.  During the first days of your stay the amount of nursing staff time you require will be greater than that needed towards the end of your stay.  The reason for this is that as you become more confident and more independent with managing your baby your nursing requirements will naturally decrease.

Enhanced bonding

Midwives will support you in learning and developing skills for caring for your newborn.  We understand that at times your need for sleep may not be met and we might offer to care for your baby at this time or suggest that your support person stay and care for the baby.

Having this level of support from experienced nursing staff gives you the opportunity to learn practical parenting skills, establish lactation, grow in confidence while decreasing the risk of cross infection.

Toddlers / Children

This is your special time with your new baby so toddlers and children are welcome to visit but are not permitted to stay overnight or remain unaccompanied in your care during the day in a “child minding” situation. 

Rooming In

We encourage you to keep your baby in your room with you as this promotes:

Visiting Hours

We encourage you to restrict your visitor numbers and length of time they stay as adequate rest is essential.  Visiting hours are 11am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm daily. From 1pm to 3pm there is a strict rest period. During this time we do not admit visitors or transfer phone calls to your room (except by prior arrangement with you).

What Can I Expect?

Your hospital stay can seem very busy.  What follows is a snapshot of an average morning:

Along with caring for the needs of your new baby, staff will be entering your room from quite early in the day e.g. night staff may need to do observations from 6.00am, doctors rounds start from 6.30 to 7.00am, breakfast is served, the am shift of nurses introduce themselves, charts are checked, beds are made and all this before 8.00am.  Physical checks and observations follow and housekeeping staff service your room.  Catering staff will clear your breakfast tray, freshen your water jug then serve and later clear your morning tea tray.  Menus will be given out and collected for the next day and visiting hours start at 11.00am.

Apart from the excitement and joy, new mothers also experience a variety of physical and emotional changes after delivery.  Babies usually feed around 6 – 8 times every 24 hours and often more frequently in the first few days and sleep deprivation combined with normal hormonal changes can lead to feelings of extreme tiredness and teary episodes.  We strongly suggest taking advantage of the rest period provided, by advising your family and friends of the times for visiting hours.

Lactation

Some mothers are concerned about the idea of going home before the “milk is in” or before breast feeding is “fully established”. By the time you are ready for discharge your milk may or may not be “in” or may be in the process of “coming in”.  Your hospital stay is about teaching you and helping you to gain confidence with the skills you need to care for your baby at home.  These skills include parentcraft skills and very importantly, feeding techniques. 

With breastfeeding we aim to have you attaching baby to the breast correctly and independently and able to recognise effective sucking.  Your lactation will take a few weeks to fully establish and will undergo numerous changes during that time in response to baby’s feeding pattern and needs. It is for these reasons that when looking at discharge day we place more emphasis on ensuring mothers have the necessary skills to continue with successful breastfeeding well beyond the hospital stay.

Registration of Birth Form

Parents must register the birth of their baby within 60 days of delivery. The maternity staff will give the forms for Registration of Birth and the Family Allowance Claim to you after the birth of your baby.