After the birth of your baby, the midwife (and doctor where required) will complete a thorough assessment of you and your baby.

New baby.jpgThey will discuss with you what to expect during your stay and prepare you for going home. This varies based on your individual need, and ranges from you staying in hospital only a few hours up to a number of days.  You can expect:

Your baby may sometimes require further monitoring or support, for example if they were born prematurely (born before 37 weeks) or they require monitoring of their blood sugars. Where possible the baby will receive special care on our Transitional Care Unit (TCU) or if they require closer observation this will be on our Neonatal Unit, where staff will ensure that you receive the information, communication and support that you need.

Newborn hearing screening

All babies in England are offered a newborn hearing screen within the first 4 weeks from birth. 1 or 2 babies in a 1000 are born with a hearing loss, and early identification is important for your baby’s development.

A team of dedicated newborn hearing screeners will provide you with all the information about the hearing screen for your baby. They are based in maternity and screening takes place between the hours of 8am – 4pm, 7 days per week. Our aim is to complete the screen before you are discharged home. Find out more about newborn hearing screening.

The screeners can be contacted on 020 8934 3636.

To book an appointment at one of our clinic locations, please call our Admin hub on 020 8614 5337. Our clinics take place:

  • Kingston Hospital (Sundays)
  • Sheen Lane Health Centre (Thursdays)
  • Teddington Memorial Hospital (Wednesdays) 

Newborn hearing screening is provided by South West London team - please contact Alison.poxon@nhs.net or michellethatcher@nhs.net for any enquires.

West Surrey Newborn hearing screening team are part of our Trust but provide hearing screening within St Peter's and Royal Surrey hospitals and community. Please contact khft.newbornhearingclinic@nhs.net for any enquires.

Information before you leave the hospital

Whether you are in hospital or at home, the maternity team are there to guide and support you. Please do not hesitate to ask for help, we are here to answer any questions or signpost you to further support where required.

Find out about other sources of support after the birth, and getting in touch with other new parents.

In preparation of your discharge from hospital, the midwife will give you information about:

  • who to call if you have a concern about you or your baby
  • what to expect, and what is normal soon after giving birth
  • how to know your baby is well and when to seek advice
  • pelvic floor exercises
  • contraception advice
  • information about making an appointment to register your baby
  • registering your baby with a GP and follow up care

If you need to discuss your birth experience or require more information, please contact the PMA (Professional Midwifery Advocate) team. They are able to:

  • Listen to any concerns you may have about your maternity care.
  • Help with any issues you may have about your maternity care in an unbiased and impartial manner.
  • Offer you the opportunity to discuss your experience, particularly if you feel you have had a traumatic birth. A PMA can go through your notes with you.

How to contact them:

  • During your stay with us on the postnatal ward, if you feel you would like to talk to a PMA then ask your midwife to  contact them. Alternatively, you can phone: 0208 934 6434 (Mon-Fri 9-5pm) and they will arrange to come and see you prior to your discharge home.
  • If you do not feel that this is the right time for you but would like the opportunity to discuss your care/birth at a later date then you can contact them on 020 8934 6434 and they will arrange an appointment for you.

Clinics are held every Tuesday afternoon in the Antenatal clinic at Kingston Hospital. They are run on a pre-booked appointment system.