Going home after birth

Discharge

You may ask to be discharged from hospital between 6-24 hours after birth, if you have a normal and uncomplicated vaginal birth. Midwives will provide you with discharge education including parent crafting and infant feeding support before discharge at 10.00am. Expected discharge after an uncomplicated caesarean is 48-72 hours.

Support after discharge – home visits

With your consent, a midwife will contact you offering support, advice or arrange a home visit if you live within the RBWH suburb catchment.

Women who reside outside the RBWH suburb catchment are offered a follow-up phone call by a community midwife to answer questions and offer support. Women are encouraged to take their baby to their GP for a check-up 5-7 days post-birth and again at 6 weeks.

For emergency care for newborns call Triple Zero (000) or visit your closest Children’s Emergency Department. These may include Queensland Children’s Hospital, Redcliffe Hospital and The Prince Charles Hospital.

RBWH Lactation Clinic – Breastfeeding Support

The Lactation Service outpatient clinic can help with complex breastfeeding issues for up to 28 days after baby’s birth.

The Lactation Service can help when:

• baby is not attaching to the breast
• you have sore or damaged nipples
• you have blocked ducts and/or mastitis
• there are concerns about milk supply
• there are concerns about baby’s growth
• feeding twins/multiples /preterm infants
• you need support with expressing & storing breast milk

For an appointment:

Contact the Lactation Service, weekdays between

8am and 3pm. Phone:3646 2250, please leave a voice mail message and you will be contacted with an appointment. Alternatively contact the Hospital Switchboard Phone: 3646 8111 and ask for the Lactation Consultant to be paged.

Please note: If you do not have a Medicare Card there will be a charge for this consultation

Child Health Services – Parenting Support from birth to 8 years.

The Child Health Service provides a range of community health and support for children and their parents/carers living in Queensland.

The Child Health Service provides a range of community health and support services for children and their parents/carers to give every child the best possible start in life.  This free service is open to all women and their families in the Greater Brisbane Metropolitan area.

Parenting support and early feeding drop-in clinics are available for the first twelve weeks after hospital discharge for new babies. These clinics are available at various locations on specified days between 9am and noon (no appointment required, closed on public holidays). The focus is on supporting early infant feeding, early infant parenting concerns and to support parents in the transition from hospital to community.

Staff at the centres include child health nurses as well as early intervention clinicians (social workers and psychologists). Advanced health workers to support families of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background are also available.

Free interpreter services are available on request.

For more information please contact 1300 366 039 (Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (excluding public holidays).

Emotional support

Here are some resources and organisations for emotional and psychological support.