Skin to skin contact
Wherever your baby is born, you will be encouraged to have skin to skin contact as soon as possible. Skin to skin has many benefits for you and your baby including:
- Calms and relaxes both you and your baby.
- Regulates your baby’s heart rate and breathing, helping to better adapt to life outside the womb.
- Stimulates digestion and an interest in feeding.
- Regulates temperature.
- Enables colonisation, where the baby’s skin has contact with the mother’s friendly bacteria, providing protection against infection.
- Stimulates the release of hormones to support breastfeeding and mothering. Skin to skin can last for as long as you like. It is recommended to continue for at least one hour post-birth until the baby’s first feed, either at the breast or with formula.
Inpatient ward
Mothers and babies who cannot be transferred home within a six to 24-hour period following the birth are transferred to the inpatient ward.
Accommodation in the ward and length of stay are determined according to the clinical needs of each mother and baby. Most mothers and babies are transferred home by the second day after birth.
We advise you to have a supply of simple pain killers (for example paracetamol or ibuprofen) already at home. This will help to speed up the discharge process for you.
Midwifery staff will discuss and plan your care with you and will liaise with others involved in your care as needed. A full range of support services, including physiotherapists, dietitians, and social workers, are available to help you if required.
Partners staying overnight
There is limited accommodation which may be available for your partner to stay overnight for additional support during the early postnatal period. Please note that:
- Partners need to provide their own meals and refreshments, as hospital meals are for patients only.
- We will provide a fold-down bed/recliner where possible, as hospital beds are for patient use.
- Partners should be respectful of other mothers, babies, and staff on the ward.
Further guidance and information may be obtained from your midwife. We have a limited number of family rooms which may be available to women whose baby remains in the neonatal unit. If there are extenuating circumstances, partners may be able to stay as well.
Security
Your baby will stay by your bedside during the day and at night.
If you wish to leave the ward for any reason, you should always tell the midwife on duty. Never leave your baby in the care of anyone you do not know or cannot identify.
All staff wear identity badges, and a teddy bear emblem will be displayed on badges for those staff authorized to handle a baby in the course of their duties.
If you have any concerns at all about a person’s identity, please ring the nurse call bell for assistance. Access to all wards and departments is through a door entry system for visitors. A closed-circuit television system has been installed within the maternity unit to improve security.
While in hospital, your baby must wear two identification bracelets at all times, and the name on the bracelet must be the same as the name on your own identification bracelet. The identification bracelets and cot name card will be checked daily by the staff. If you notice that a bracelet is either loose or missing at any time, please inform the staff so that it can be immediately replaced.
We recognise that the birth of a baby is a family event, and you will have many relatives and friends who will want to see the new addition to the family. To help us make the unit more secure, please ask your visitors to observe visiting times and to note that there is a limit of two visitors to a bed at any one time, in addition to partners.
Infant Feeding Team
It is never too early to start thinking about how you are going to feed your baby, but you do not have to make a decision until your baby is born.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Integrated Infant Feeding Team (maternity and health visiting service, peer supporters from the Breastfeeding Network) is dedicated to supporting mothers of newborn babies in a way that reflects their individual experiences and needs.
Support will also be available for mums and babies admitted to the neonatal unit. Feeding support by the maternity infant feeding team is provided seven days per week, from 8.30am until 4pm.
Breastfeeding challenges and support
Caesarean section births and sick or premature babies
There can be challenges for women to give their baby breast milk if the baby:
- was born by caesarean section
- is sick or premature
However, with support, you can still breastfeed. Breastfeeding is the preferred method of feeding infants, including the preterm and hospitalized infant. Breast milk provides the proper balance of nutrients and transfers immune factors to protect the infant in early life.
If it is not immediately possible for an infant to breastfeed in hospital, you will be supported to express breastmilk.
Ayrshire Bairns app
Download NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s app by searching for ‘Ayrshire Bairns’ it in your Apple or Android mobile app store.
The Breastfeeding Network
The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) is a registered charity which offers an independent source of information and support for breastfeeding women and their families.
In Ayrshire, the BfN offers friendly drop-in breastfeeding centres across Ayrshire which provide information about feeding your baby, ongoing support, and a place to meet other pregnant and breastfeeding mums.
To find out more, please text or call 07528 104976 or visit the BfN website.
Post-pregnancy contraception
There are many very effective and safe methods of contraception that are ideal for people who:
- have just had a baby
- want to space their pregnancies out or have long-term contraception
Many can also be used while breastfeeding.
Your midwife or doctor will discuss contraception with you during one of your antenatal visits (usually around 20 to 24 weeks of pregnancy). Staff in the hospital, or community, will make sure you can get your chosen method easily and quickly. This will allow you to start it as soon as you have your baby.
The need for contraception returns again as soon as three weeks after your baby is born. The sooner you start, the better.
Intrauterine contraception (IUD) check up
If you have had a form of intrauterine contraception (IUD) after having a baby, you need to have a check-up at around 4-6 weeks to:
- make sure the coil threads can be seen
- trim them, if needed
There may be a slightly higher chance of the coil becoming expelled as your womb returns to its non-pregnant size. Most women will be aware if this happens.
Preparing for home
Before going home
Every baby is checked for important medical conditions and receives a hearing screening test before discharge. Further important blood tests are carried out by your community midwife. For further details, please refer to your ‘Ready Steady Baby’ book or speak to your midwife.
Going home
When you are discharged, a member of staff will accompany you to the ward door. If traveling home by car, it is your responsibility to fit a car seat suitable for your car and baby into the car before you go home.
Neonatal Unit (NNU)
The neonatal unit (NNU) provides specialist family integrated care for premature and sick babies.
It is a relaxed, friendly unit. Parents are encouraged to spend as much time as they like with their babies and are actively encouraged to take part in the planning and delivery of their care.
A waiting area and small play area is available for use by parents, grandparents, and other visitors. It is the responsibility of all parents to ensure that children are adequately supervised if using this area.
Siblings are encouraged to accompany parents when they visit. Cold drinks are available at all times. During the afternoon and evening, parents may bring one extra visitor to accompany them. A parent must always accompany visitors to the unit. Three visitors may visit the cot side at any one time.
If you wish to discuss any issues within the NNU, please speak to the nurse or midwife caring for your baby, or ask to speak to the neonatal unit coordinator. Parents have access to medical staff at all times, and you can make an appointment to speak with a consultant pediatrician.
The unit has a very strict handwashing policy. We ask that all visitors, staff, and parents wash their hands upon entering the NNU.
Community care
After your transfer home from the hospital, your community midwife will visit the following day to discuss and plan your care with you. If your midwife does not visit before 4pm, please call maternity assessment to speak to a midwife who will offer advice and support. Your community midwife will care for you until your baby is ten days old.
The care for you and your baby will then be handed over to the named health visitor at day ten. Each child has a named health visitor, and your named health visitor will be in touch with you to arrange a home visit between day 11 and 14.
The health visiting service offers a home visiting service in the first few months of your baby’s life. Your health visitor will discuss this with you at the first visit.
You will have a named health visitor until your baby reaches school age. The health visiting service will monitor and assess your child’s:
- growth
- development
- wellbeing
Your health visitor can give evidence-based and expert advice on many topics, including:
- feeding your baby
- weaning onto solids
- play
- parenting
- immunisations
- your own health and wellbeing
If you have a family nurse as part of the Family Nurse Partnership programme, you will continue to receive support from them until your child is two. At this point, your care will be handed over to a named health visitor.
If you wish to discuss your birth after you have gone home from the hospital, please speak to your community midwife or health visitor. They will help you to put you in touch with the most appropriate person to answer your questions.
Registration of birth
All babies must be registered within 21 days. Details of how to register your baby’s birth are provided on the birth registration card given to you by the midwife after the birth.
You may register your baby:
- at your local registration office
- by appointment at East Ayrshire Council Registration Services, The Burns Monument Centre, Kay Park, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, KA3 7RU
Postnatal shape up class
There is a postnatal shape up class for all mums from when your baby is six weeks old, for four consecutive classes. To book a place, please telephone Ayrshire Maternity Unit reception.
The class is provided by the Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Team. The class teaches specific exercises for both core strength and pelvic floor.
You can also discuss posture and positioning, as well as relaxation. You can bring your baby along to the class.
You will find further information in the following leaflets:
- ‘Fit for Motherhood’, which is available on the BadgerNet app
- ‘Fit for the Future: Essential Advice and Exercises following Childbirth’