Newborn Health

You and your baby will be cared for by many members of your health care team using something called a ‘care path.’ A care path accurately records all care provided to you and your baby from the time of birth to when you go home and eventual discharge from postpartum care in your home. 

After you give birth, your health care team will work together with you and your baby to help determine when you are ready to go home – this means when you are able to care for both yourself and your baby. 

In many cases, you and your baby, if you live within a 30-minute drive from  the Health Centre, will be ready to go home safely in one day (if you’ve had a vaginal delivery) or within three days (if you’ve had a cesarean section) of giving birth. Before you leave the Health Centre, you will have a pre-discharge consultation with a public health nurse, who will provide follow-up care and support (including breastfeeding support) for post-partum moms. 

The nurse will check both you and your baby, answering any questions or concerns you may have. Your family doctor, public health nurse or nurses at the Health Centre are available for continued support and guidance in the day and weeks to follow. If required, longer postpartum care is available for both you and your baby. 

In many cases, the care team may decide, based on your care path that  you and/or your baby are not ready for home. If you are ready for home,  but your baby must remain at the Health Centre for further treatment, the nursing staff will provide information on accommodations for you.

This section explains the types of services that are available to families and their newborns after birth (post partum). Please ask questions if there is something you do not understand and ask for assistance if you need help or have a concern about our services.

At left here you will find a list of some of our inpatient units – these are units where newborn babies stay during admission to the Health Centre. This list also includes departments and services that support newborns and their families during their stays at the IWK. You can search the list by scrolling at left or selecting the first letter of the unit/service name from the alphabet above. Please note this isn’t a complete list – expect more to be added soon.