After Your Stay

Going Home

Going home with your premature or unwell baby can be met with mixed, confusing feelings. It can be both exciting and stressful at the same time. There's a lot to look forward to, but we know that many parents also feel nervous about caring for their baby on their own for the first time without the support of hospital staff.

Your baby's care team will meet with you to discuss and decide when your baby is ready to go home. Your baby will be considered for discharge when they are gaining weight, no longer monitored, currently well, and feeding well.

Preparing to go home

After spending time in Newborn Care, when it is almost time for you to take your baby home, it is normal to be anxious or worried. The Newborn Family Support Team (NFST) is the supportive 'stepping stone' between hospital services and the community support services such as the Child and Family Health Centres. NFST nurses help prepare families for going home whilst their baby is still in the unit. If you live in the local area, a nurse from NFST can provide support and home visits to assist with the transition from hospital to home.

Resources to support families to prepare to go home

Check back for resources to support families to prepare to go home.

Follow up services

If follow-up medical appointments are required, we'll provide you with a plan for these when you're ready to go home. Upon discharge, you will be provided with a discharge letter outlining your baby's care with us. You will also receive your NSW Health Record (Blue Book).

We also provide a range of follow up services including the Baby Play Gym, and a range of Follow Up Clinics including:

Neonatal follow-up
Jaundice / Late-Preterm
Lactation

Learn more about our follow-up services here.

It's important to remember that if your baby was born prematurely, your babies development will be tracked using corrected age. Corrected age, or adjusted age, is their chronological age minus the number of weeks or months they were born early. For example, a six-month old who was born two months early would have a corrected age of four months. This is important to remember when comparing your baby to other babies that are the same chronological age. Corrected age is used until your child is two years old.