When baby comes home it’s a busy time for the whole family.  The free child health nurse service can help.

THE BENEFITS

• support with baby‘s routine: washing, sleeping, settling, feeding and development
• advice and reminders about immunisations and health checks
• family help while getting used to being a parent
• regular health checks for children up to school age including height, weight, vision, hearing, speech, diet, behaviour and parent support.

HELP AND ADVICE

Your local child health clinic will help connect you with a child health nurse. Or you can call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) and ask for the child health nurse.

Or talk with your doctor (GP) or midwife.

Community connectors are volunteers who are trained to connect you and your family to people in the community where you live.  

THE BENEFITS

• having someone close by to talk to
• feeling safe and supported
• not feeling lonely
• connecting with culture.

HELP & ADVICE

Ask your midwife or child health nurse about the community connector in your area.

A GP, or general practitioner, is a doctor who has done extra training in General Practice.  This means they can help manage lots of different medical conditions for you and your family. A doctor (GP) is the first person you should always go to if you have a health or medical problem that isn’t an emergency.

To find a local doctor click here and type in your post code.

A DOCTOR CAN

• treat you for many different types of illness
• refer you to a specialist or another type of medical doctor
• share in your pregnancy care
• write you a prescription for medicines
• advise you on general health issues such as exercise and nutrition
• take care of the health needs for your whole family.

GP SHARED CARE

This is a service where your pregnancy care is shared between your regular doctor and the doctors and midwives at your local hospital. This type of shared pregnancy care is good if you have a low-risk pregnancy. You will receive your pregnancy care through your doctor in a familiar setting and build a relationship with that doctor during pregnancy that will help you long after baby is born.

REMEMBER when a doctor gets to know you and your family well, they can treat you, not just the medical condition.

CAUTION if it is an emergency, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

An obstetrician is a doctor who has additional training and skills to provide medical care to women during pregnancy (antenatal care), during labour and birth and after pregnancy (postnatal care).

BENEFITS

• obstetricians are trained to deal with complications and emergencies during pregnancy, birth and after birth
• They check your health and the progress of your pregnancy
• They will check your baby’s health, growth and position
• They can do, or refer you for, your routine tests
• They can help you get ready for labour and birth
• They can perform caesarean births
• They are also trained in women’s reproductive health (gynaecology).

HELP AND ADVICE

• in public hospitals an obstetrician will look after you if you have complications during your pregnancy, labour or after birth
• if you have private health insurance with maternity cover, you can choose your own obstetrician to look after you during your pregnancy and labour
• your doctor (GP) will can provide you with a referral to a private obstetrician of your choice.

A midwife is a health professional who is trained to care for you during your pregnancy, labour and the birth of your baby and who can help care for you and your baby/babies for the few weeks after birth. Your midwife will usually work for the hospital and you may have one throughout your pregnancy and birth or you may meet several.

DURING PREGNANCY

Your midwife will:

• check your health and the progress of your pregnancy
• check your baby’s health, growth and position
• help perform or organise any checks and tests you may need to have
• arrange hospital bookings
• give you support and advice
• help you prepare for labour and birth.

DURING LABOUR AND BIRTH

Your midwife will:

• give you information, encouragement and emotional support
• monitor your progress and suggest things to do to help your labour
• monitor the baby’s heartbeat and other signs
• offer you pain relief, or arrange for a doctor to give it to you
• get extra medical help if needed.

AFTER BIRTH

Your midwife will:

• help you with breastfeeding and settling your baby
• show you how to bath your baby and change nappies
• administer pain relief if needed
• carry out routine heath tests such as newborn screening
• connect you and your family to all kinds of health and community support.

HELP AND ADVICE

You might also consider Private Midwife Care, where your care is provided by a midwife or group of midwives from a private group practice for your pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care. In this model you have the option of choosing whether to have your baby in hospital or at home. Speak with your doctor (GP) about the options that might work best for you.

A pharmacist is a trained health care professional who prepares and gives you the medicines your doctor has asked you to take.

TALK TO A PHARMACIST ABOUT

• medical dosage (the right amount of medicine to take)
• how to take medicine the best and safest way
• how to take over-the-counter medicines (medicines that don’t need a prescription from your doctor) 
• the way medicine might make you feel (for example, making you feel sleepy).

OTHER WAYS A PHARMACIST CAN HELP

Your pharmacist can also help you with things like: 

• nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
• things that might be happening with your new baby, like nappy rash, cradle cap, feeding and reflux
• constipation
• contraception
• immunisations
• products like vitamins for general health and wellbeing
• first aid kits
• connecting you to child health nurses.

REMEMBER  build an ongoing relationship with your local pharmacist, because when they get to know you and your family, they can help all of you to stay healthy.

A social worker is a health professional who helps people in times of need and crisis.  Social workers help with practical and emotional support, and advice. 

HOW CAN A SOCIAL WORKER HELP?

Social workers help people who are:

• homeless
• experiencing domestic violence
• experiencing sexual assault or child abuse
• addicted to alcohol and/or drugs
• living with trauma from a previous incident
• coping with the death of a family member or friend.

They help people to find government housing, get Centrelink entitlements and assist with financial matters if needed.

HELP AND ADVICE

If you need the help of a social worker, talk to your:

• doctor (GP)
• community connector
• community care worker
• child health nurse
• midwife.