Northside Pre-Admission Packet

Getting Ready to Go Home

We realize that bringing a newborn home is a very exciting and sometimes overwhelming experience. Our goal is to assist you in making this the best experience possible. The nurses and medical staff are available to help you plan for your return home. You may find the information below helpful in planning your return home even before you are admitted to the hospital.

Make Prior Arrangements Before you are admitted, make arrangements for extra help when you arrive home with your baby. Here are some of the common items you may need help with: • Someone to stay with you • Preparing meals for you and your family • Help to care for you and your baby • Grocery shopping, banking and bill paying, picking up your

mail and other chores • Cleaning and laundry • Getting around your home, climbing stairs, etc.

Additional Preparations While you are in the hospital: • Read through the written instructions about how to care for yourself and your baby after discharge. • Read through any information you receive about the medications that you and your baby may be taking at home. • Ask your provider or your baby’s provider questions about how to take care of yourself and your baby after you leave the hospital. • If you have identified someone that is going to help you at home, ask him or her to come to the hospital to review necessary instructions with the nurses. Day before going home: • Remember to bring an approved car seat that is properly installed in the car. • Ask family members to start taking home some of your personal items, such as flowers, cards or extra clothes. Day of going home: • We recommend you keep your baby’s bulb syringe readily available during your car ride home. • You will receive information and instructions for follow-up appointments. • Be sure to review and understand information on the discharge instruction sheet (for you and your baby). • Please ask your health care professionals if you have any outstanding questions or concerns. After you go home: • If you have questions after you go home from the hospital, please call your provider, or if you have questions about your baby, please call your pediatrician. • For breastfeeding questions, Northside Hospital Lactation Center is staffed with consultants 7 days per week. The voicemail advice line for Atlanta and Forsyth is 404.303.3329. The Cherokee advice line is 770.224.1970. The Gwinnett Breastfeeding help line is 678.312.4743. Your call will be returned between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. each day.

• Driving to doctor’s appointments (for you and your baby) • Child care for your older children (taking them to school or after-school activities)

Infant Car Seat Make sure you have obtained a proper car seat for your baby as Georgia law requires that all children under the age of 8 use a car seat. Northside Hospital does not provide car seats.

• Your baby’s car seat should already be installed in your car before you are discharged from your room. The hospital staff and volunteers are not permitted to assist with car seat installation or securing the baby in the car seat. • The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants ride rear facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they are at least 2 years of age or, preferably, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car seat manufacturer. • Become familiar with the proper way to restrain your baby in this seat. There are many types of car seats and each one has specific requirements for proper restraint. • Some small infants have breathing problems when they sit reclining in a car seat. If your baby is born more than 3 weeks before the due date or is born weighing less than 5 1/2 pounds, your baby’s ability to tolerate this position in his/her car seat will need to be tested before going home from the hospital. This means that you will need to bring your infant car seat into the hospital so a test can be done. The test must be performed in your baby’s actual car seat. • For more information on infant car seat safety: • safekids.org/in-your-area/find-a-inspection-station • seatcheck.org