Calvary Lenah Valley Hospital
Birth and postnatal support
When to come in
Before coming in, call and speak to a midwife on 03 6278 5328. Your midwife will decide if you should come into our maternity unit.
When you arrive at the hospital, go straight up to our maternity unit on the third floor.
Facilities and rooms
After your baby is born
After birth, your baby remains with you. ‘Rooming in’ is encouraged for all mothers and babies. This close contact will quickly enable you to learn to respond to your baby’s cues, and you are less likely to be disturbed by the sound of other babies in the night.
Your midwife will provide support and assistance to you with care and feeding of your baby.
We welcome the family as a whole and as such do not restrict visiting times for fathers and other children.
Calvary Lenah Valley is an accredited baby friendly hospital by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF. We aim to provide services of the highest quality to support breastfeeding mothers.
Our menu has been designed to cater to your taste and preferences. The food service staff will be happy to discuss any special dietary needs you may have.
Whilst you are within the delivery suite section of the maternity floor, meals will be provided to your partners free of charge.
Once you have been moved to a regular room on our ward, additional meals are available to your partner for a nominal price.
Meal times
Snacks are available 24/7
Breakfast | 7.45am |
Lunch | 12pm |
Dinner | 5pm |
As part of the National Hearing Test program all babies are offered the newborn hearing test during their stay at Calvary.
How to access this service
Monday 9am-12pm, Wednesday 1pm-1.30pm, Friday 9am-12pm
The test is carried out in your hospital room
If your baby is unable to be screened during these times you are welcome to come into an outpatient screening clinic at Calvary on either Monday or Friday 11am – 12pm held in the maternity unit.
Before or soon after you have your baby, your doctor or midwife will discuss hepatitis B immunisation with you and will ask you to make a decision about whether you want your baby immunised.
If you choose to have your baby immunised the birth dose will be given as soon as the baby is stable, preferably within 24 hours of birth and up to seven days of age. Your baby will need three more doses of the hepatitis B vaccine to be fully immunised. These will be given at two, four and six months of age in combination with your baby’s other routine childhood immunisations so your baby will not receive any additional needles.
Newborn screening tests are performed on all babies born in Australia. This is an important test to detect metabolic disorders which, unless treated early in life, may affect your child’s future development.
About this test
The test is carried out in your hospital room within 48 hours following the birth of your baby.The blood is obtained from your baby’s heel by a needle prick, and you will only be notified of results if the tests are abnormal.
During your pregnancy, your doctor or midwife should ask whether you want your baby to have vitamin K by injection or by mouth, and they will arrange to provide it. Soon after birth, your baby will have a vitamin K injection or the first dose by mouth. This will be given by a doctor or midwife.
Going home from hospital
Going home with your baby is an exciting time. It is also a time of new experiences. Our midwives offer 24-hour support, 7 days a week when you need help and guidance and are only a phone call away.
After you go home from hospital, our midwives will continue to offer support and advice to mothers who experience feeding and lactation difficulties.
All mothers have access to a dedicated session with a qualified lactation consultant.
How to access this service
This clinic is free for women who have given birth at Calvary Lenah Valley.
Self-referral to clinic: Call 03 6278 5328 to book
24 hour phone support: Call our midwives on 03 6278 5328
Before you leave ensure that you have been given your birth registration paper, Centrelink pack and Baby Personal Health record book.
Centrelink papers cannot be reissued by the hospital if you misplace them, so please ensure these documents are stored in a safe place.
The Mothers Support Package is available if you choose to go home early. We can help make the transition a little easier for you by offering a package which includes a voucher from the Hill Street Grocer and midwifery support.
To find out how you could be eligible ask your midwife.
Calvary Home Care can offer a helping hand while you adjust to the changes in routine, including:
Cooking and grocery shopping
Cleaning and household maintenance
Transport
Our Hospital to Home Service can be provided under a government subsidised support package (if you’re eligible), delivered on a private basis, or as a combination of the two.