Your care team
Depending on the treatment and care your new baby needs, you will meet many different staff members. We all wear a name badge, will introduce ourselves to you and explain why we are seeing you.
Doctors
We have a range of doctors who specialise in newborn care. A doctor or a team of doctors with experience working with your baby’s health issue will talk with you about what treatment and care is best. As a teaching hospital, you will also be seen by doctors who are finishing their studies.
You can ask your doctor about any plans for your baby’s treatment and care.
Nurses and midwives
Our neonatal and special care nurses will constantly monitor your baby. While your baby is in the NICU or Special Care Nursery you/your baby’s mother may still be receiving treatment as a patient. Nurses and/or midwives will look after your baby’s needs.
Allied health staff
Allied health staff come from a range of different professions and are here to support you, your doctors and nurses in providing your baby the care they need.
You will work with some of our allied health staff to help your baby get well.
They include:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Service: help you with support, advocating for you and liaising with others during your stay
- Allied health assistants: work with therapists in caring for you and your baby
- Dietitians: help you work out the best diet for your baby
- Medical imaging staff: take scans and x-rays to see inside your baby’s body
- Occupational therapists: help you be safe doing day to day tasks
- Physiotherapists: help your baby get the best movement in your body
- Pathology staff: test blood, urine and tissue samples
- Pharmacists: give you medicine and information
- Psychologists: help you with your thoughts and emotions
- Social workers: help you connect with your community and provide practical support
- Speech pathologists: help you with swallowing
- Lactation consultants: help you with expressing and breastfeeding.
Non-clinical staff
Staff who are not health professionals are called non-clinical staff. They include ward clerks, wards persons, ward assistants, personal support officers, food services staff, patient support officers, customer service officers and cleaning staff. Together, they take care of the daily running of the hospital.
Family centred care
The doctors and nurses caring for your newborn participate in rounds to discuss baby’s status and progress. This happens between 8:30am and 11am each morning. We invite you to be involved in these conversations and ask any questions that you may have.
If you can’t make it in person, we can set up a family meeting or a phone consultation at a better time.
Family centred rounds
One of the most important people involved in your baby's care is you and your family.
How can you be involved in your baby's/babies' care?
- holding your baby skin-to-skin
- attending to your baby's nappy changes
- helping move and position your baby
- learning to give your baby feeds
- reading or singing to your baby
Find out more about getting involved in your baby's/babies' care.
Some questions you might like to ask your doctor
This will help make sure you have enough information to make the right decisions for your baby:
- Why do you think this treatment/procedure/therapy is right for my baby?
- Is this treatment/procedure/therapy new or uncommon?
- Is there research that says this is the right procedure for my baby?
- How many times have you done this treatment/procedure/therapy?
- What has happened in the past when you have done this treatment/procedure/therapy?
- How quickly does my baby need to have this treatment/procedure/therapy?
- What will happen if we do nothing?
- How long will it take my baby to get better after the treatment/procedure/therapy?
- What can I do to prepare for the treatment/procedure/therapy?
- What else can you tell me that will help me decide if this treatment/procedure/therapy is right for my baby?
- What if I need time to talk with my family, friends or another person about this before I decide?
- At what gestation will my baby go home?
- When will my baby start to feed?
- When will my baby transition to special care?
- Can I do skin to skin care and for how long?
