A New Beginning

Planning to Take Baby Home Starts at Birth

• When do I need to notify my baby’s health care provider and when do I need to seek emergency help? • When is my baby’s first follow-up appointment with their health care provider? • How will my baby’s health care provider know how my baby did in the hospital? GET ALL OF YOUR AND YOUR PARTNER’S QUESTIONS ANSWERED • Speak up – Tell your nurse or health care provider if you do not understand the information they have given you. Ask them to repeat their instructions in a different way. • Repeat the information back to make sure that you clearly understand. This helps the nurse to know that you correctly heard and understood the information.

WHILE YOU’RE IN THE HOSPITAL • Care for your baby as much as possible so you learn their cues and feel more confident in your skills. • Make sure you and your partner know how to properly place your baby into their car seat and how to install it into your vehicle. State of Georgia law requires that newborns are secured in a car seat when traveling in a vehicle. • Confirm the name of your baby’s health care provider and their contact information with your nurse. • Complete your birth certificate worksheet. • Practice skin-to-skin contact as much as possible. • Write your questions down as you think of them. • Have a plan for help at home. • What should I expect when I take my baby home? • What are my baby’s specific discharge instructions that I should follow? • Will my baby need to take any medications at home? • What are newborn warning signs that I should be aware of? IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT YOUR BABY

The 3 most important things you must do EARLY to prepare for your baby’s discharge:

1. Choose a health care provider for your baby. 2. Bring your baby’s car seat into your

postpartum room and store it in your room. 3. Complete the birth certificate worksheet and turn it in within 24 hours of the baby’s birth.

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A New Beginning