Depending on how your baby is delivered, you can expect to remain in hospital for three to five days after your baby’s birth. Your obstetrician and your baby’s paediatrician will check the wellbeing of you and your baby before you both leave the hospital. Please arrange appointments with your obstetrician and paediatrician for six weeks after your baby’s birth.
Discharge
The discharge time from Mater Mothers’ Private Mackay is 10 am each day. Please ensure that you have pre-arranged for someone to be available to pick you up at 10 am on the anticipated day of discharge and that your baby safety restraint has been fitted securely, prior to your discharge. If you perceive any problems with these discharge requirements, please inform your midwife or nurse as early as possible so that other arrangements can be made.
Personal health record
When you are discharged from the hospital you will receive a personal health record, which provides details of your baby’s birth. You will be asked to present this booklet when you visit your GP, other doctors, and Child Health Clinics, as well as for immunisation visits.
Child health support
You will be offered a referral to child health and our midwives and nurses can provide you with a list of Child Health Clinics in your local area. These clinics provide advice and education about a variety of topics such as your baby’s feeding, behaviour and child development.
Immunisation
Queensland Health recommends that your baby receive vaccinations to ensure they are fully immunised. Please make arrangements with your GP or Child Health Clinic for your baby’s vaccination. Immunisation commences at birth with the next series of vaccinations due at eight weeks of age.
Birth registration and maternity allowance
Birth Registration and Centrelink forms, are given to you on admission to the postnatal ward. You are responsible for completing and returning these forms per instructions on each of the forms. You are also responsible for lodging claims for the maternity allowance and other forms of government assistance.
Please contact the Family Assistance Office on 136 150 during your pregnancy to find out what benefits are available and how and when to lodge claims.
Information is also provided online via the Family Assistance Office.
Settling your account
All outstanding expenses, including meals for partners, must be settled prior to your discharge. Payments can be made via EFTPOS, credit card, cheque or cash. Our discharge assistants will come to your work to process these payments. Our administration staff will be happy to help you with any enquiries regarding your account or questions about your health fund entitlements.
If you are going home after hours we will send an invoice to your home address.