The South West Healthcare Special Care Nursery provides care for babies that are unwell, premature and/or too small to be managed and cared for within the Maternity Unit. There is also parent pods which are adjoining rooms available for mothers to stay with their babies.
This is a six-bed unit with current up-to-date equipment and a skilled medical and nursing/midwifery team to provide care.
The SWH Special Care Nursery is a level 2 neonatal unit providing care for babies in the South West Region and is also a referral unit for other smaller hospitals.
Babies from 34 weeks gestation can be cared for at SWH, being admitted either from the birthing suite, operating theatre, emergency department and also transferred in from other hospitals. The nursery provides care for babies from birth to the first 28 days of life.
Wherever possible staff will keep mother and baby together, however sometimes there may be a need for your baby to have extra treatment and care.
Some reasons babies are admitted to the Special Care Nursery include:
Babies admitted into the Special Care Nursery will be cared for by a dedicated team of specialists including paediatrician’s, nurses/midwives, doctors and allied healthcare workers. This team will develop a care plan appropriate for your babies needs with the ultimate goal of making a smooth transition to home.
The paediatric doctors will see your baby every day, usually between 0800hrs and 1100hrs. If possible, please try and be present then so that we can discuss your baby’s care with you and answer any questions you might have.
If you (as a mum) have medical issues related to your birth, you will continue to be looked after by the obstetrics and gynaecology doctors and midwives for as long as necessary.
Babies who are very unwell or born more than 6 weeks before their due date, will be stabilized in our Level 3 Intensive Care/Resus Room and transferred to Melbourne. If your baby needs to go to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Melbourne, he/she will be transported with the Paediatric Infant Perinatal Emergency Retrieval (PIPER) team, under the care of a neonatal doctor and intensive care nurse. In this situation, SWH will assist you in your own transfer to Melbourne.
The nursery is designed for mothers to live-in. Your room adjoins the baby’s room so that you can be close to your baby.
The Special Care Nursery has Pods where your baby will be located. Four of the Pods have provision for the baby’s mother to “room in” with them, when they are discharged from the maternity ward. The pods have a bed for mum a fridge for storing expressed breast milk, cupboard for her belongings and a television. Breakfast and a limited range of meals are provided for the Special Care Nursery mums.
The other rooms in the nursery are shared pods and don’t have provision for mum to stay overnight.
Special Care Nursery staff have extensive training and experience in educating and assisting mothers to initiate lactation, especially when their baby is in the Special Care Nursery and separated from them for a period of time.
Small and premature babies benefit from close contact with their parents and breastfeeding is also very important.
See Infant Feeding Support for more information on breastfeeding support when home from hospital.
There are no restrictions placed on parents with visiting hours.
Currently no other visitors allowed in the special care nursery other than parents due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Babies in the Special Care Nursery have immature immune systems. You should gel your hands before and after touching the baby.
The Special Care Nursery provides many services including:
If further care and testing is required in a tertiary hospitals such as the Royal Children’s Hospital, Royal Women’s Hospital, Mercy Hospital for Women or Monash Medical Centre, the paediatric team will discuss this with you and arrange for a specialist transfer through a service called PIPER (Paediatric Infant Perinatal Emergency Retrieval).
This is a highly-skilled and dedicated service for the transfer of unwell babies for ongoing care or testing in Melbourne. A specialist neonatal doctor and nurse care for babies during this transfer.
Generally babies should be feeding well and gaining weight before being discharged home.
South West Healthcare provide post-discharge home visiting to assist in the transition from hospital to home. This service is called Domicillary. These midwives have extensive knowledge in ongoing care needs of you and your baby.
Liaison with the Maternal and Child Health Nurse service and staff assists in a smooth transition to community care for mother and baby.
The Special Care Nursery is a level 3 nursery which has the capability of caring for mild to moderately unwell, uncomplicated newborns that are at least 34 weeks gestation and weigh 2kg and above. This includes growing preterm and convalescing newborns and infants. SWH may accept care of newborns marginally under the gestational age/weight listed above, when clinically appropriate or following specialist consultation.
In the first instance health professionals should contact the hospital and ask to speak to the paediatrician on call.