The Maternity ward is located in two areas of the Joan Kirner Building at Sunshine Hospital - Level 7 & level 8 and within the Maternity unit at Bacchus Marsh Hospital
At Joan Kirner, Maternity consists of 64 beds in single and 2-bed rooms.
At Bacchus Marsh, Maternity consists of 8 beds all in single rooms.
The ward provides opportunities for partners to stay overnight if you are in a single room.
Midwives will provide your care during your admission and work in close partnership with our team of:
After the birth of your baby, your expected stay in hospital is 24-48 hours following a vaginal birth or 48-72 hours following a Caesarean Section, but the actual length of your stay will depend on the health needs of you and your baby.
Following discharge from hospital a midwife will visit you at home within 24-48 hours. Before you are discharged from our care we will refer you to the Maternal & Child Health (MCH) service within your local council area. If you do not hold a valid Medicare card you may not be eligible to receive the MCH service.
If you are cared for by midwives in our Midwifery Group Practice (Caseload) and all is well, you can expect to go home between 4 – 6 hours after birth. You will receive more regular follow up by your Midwifery Group Practice midwife at home before referral to the Maternal & Child Health service within your local council area.
The Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program (VIHSP) is run by The Royal Children's Hospital and works in hospitals across the state to screen the hearing of all Victorian newborn babies in their first few weeks of life. The program aims to find out as early as possible whether a baby has a hearing loss. The screen is performed by trained hearing screeners using valid and reliable technology and is usually carried out at the baby's bedside in hospital while they are asleep.
The screen:
is performed by trained hearing screeners
uses standard technology (Automated Auditory Brainstem Response AABR)
is usually completed at the mothers bedside while the baby is asleep (in hospital) or at an outpatient appointment
One of our hearing screeners will contact you during your stay after your baby is born; or they will contact you at home to offer you an appointment to have your baby's hearing tested.
