While you are in hospital
How long will I stay after having my baby?
If all is well and safe to do so it is usual for families to leave the hospital from a few hours after the birth up to 48 hours.
Who can stay with me while I am in hospital?
You may be accompanied by one support person for the duration of your stay 24/7. We do kindly request that the privacy and dignity of everyone be respected at all times. Appropriate clothing and footwear should always be worn and we kindly ask telephone calls be taken away from the ward area; others on the ward may be trying at any time of day.
What facilities are available?
All wards have limited amount of room so please keep luggage to a minimum, see our handy guide on that to bring to hospital (*Link with what to bring to hospital, to follow) Each ward has basic showering facilities for supporting people. There are limited facilities for food on each ward and no microwave. Meals are provided for inpatients only; visitors have to provide their own food and refreshments.
Formula Milk – We do not provide any infant feeding formula within the hospital. We have dedicated kitchen for the preparation of formula on Pearl Ward and on The Birth Place. Should you need infant formula it is available in the league of friends shop at the hospital entrance. Guide to infant formula https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/parents-carers
Routine examinations for baby
The Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) is a screening examination which will be carried out before your go home. The examination will be carried out by one of the midwives specialised in this examination. This will be done when your baby is calm and settled. As part of the overall examination, a number of specific screening tests will be carried out to identify whether there are any problems or conditions that may need monitoring, further investigation or treatment.
The specific examinations include:
- Heart
- Hips
- Eyes
- Testes
The outcome of the examination is recorded on the NIPE System and recorded in your baby’s personal Child Health Record (Red Book), which you will be given shortly after birth. As your baby will experience a lot of changes in the first two months of life, this examination is repeated again between six to eight weeks. It is usually carried out by your GP. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your baby or this examination, please do not hesitate to ask.
The Newborn Hearing Screen is offered to all babies either before being discharged from hospital or at an outpatient clinic appointment. One to two babies in every 1000 are born with permanent hearing loss in one or both ears. Finding out early can give your baby a better chance of developing speech and language skills. A newborn hearing screener will explain the screen to you and the results will be given to you as the hearing screen is completed. There are no risks associated with your baby having the screen.