After your baby is born, you will stay on the Birth Unit for a few hours before moving to the Family Newborn Care Unit. In some cases, babies need to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for specialized care.
Depending on who your care provider was during pregnancy, your baby will be cared for by your family doctor, midwife, or members of our Newborn Services Team. Nurses on the Family Newborn Care Unit will monitor your baby's wellbeing, and offer guidance to help you learn to care for your baby. An excellent resource for care of your baby is the Loving Care books, offered by Public Health. Your nurses at IWK Health may refer to these during your stay.
Many babies are ready to go home after 24 hours. If your baby is born early, develops jaundice that needs to be treated, or needs additional treatment or monitoring, they will likely need to stay in the hospital longer. Your health care team will work with you to determine when you and your baby are ready to go home.
A Public Health nurse may visit you and your baby during your stay. Public Health nurses are available for continued support and guidance in the days and weeks that follow discharge from the IWK. A Public Health Nurse may contact you after you have arrived home. You can also contact a Public Health Nurse if you have questions or need extra support. The Public Health contact numbers are available at this link: https://www.nshealth.ca/public-health#sites-sites
In the first days after your baby is discharged from the hospital, they might have an appointment in the Postpartum Clinic. This is a nurse-run clinic where babies can be seen for feeding concerns, weight checks, and certain types of bloodwork. Your nurse and care provider will work with you to determine if your baby requires an appointment to the Postpartum Clinic.
After your baby is discharged, they should be seen by their community care provider within 3 days. If you are having difficulty booking this appointment, call the Family Newborn Care Unit for guidance.
If your baby does not have a community care provider, they will be referred to the Unattached Newborn Program. If your baby has been registered in this program and you need to contact the program, they can be reached by email at unattachednewborn@nshealth.ca or phone at 902-943-6588.