At the hospital

Your nurses will teach you about caring for yourself and your baby throughout the course of your hospital stay and will be happy to answer any of your questions.

To document your baby’s name, you must complete the birth-certificate worksheet. Decide on a name for your baby ahead of time. The name recorded on your birth certificate worksheet will become your child’s official name.

A physical exam will be completed to ensure that you are ready to go home.

If recommended by your practitioner, a small sample of your blood will be taken as part of your health checkup.

If you have had a cesarean section, you will receive care to help you recover from your surgery. This includes removal of the urinary catheter and instruction about wound care.

Your nurses will help you and your baby learn how to breastfeed if you need help. In addition, lactation consultants — health professionals with expertise in breastfeeding techniques and education — can assist you during your stay and when you go home.

Click here for more information about breastfeeding.

For lactation help after you return home, call 770-496-3409 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A physical exam will be completed to ensure that your baby is healthy enough to go home. Here are a few items your care team at the hospital will check for:

• Hepatitis B vaccine: Your newborn should receive the hepatitis B vaccine while in the hospital. This vaccine should not be postponed until after discharge. It is given to safeguard against transmission of this virus from mother and other caregivers to the newborn and is most effective if given shortly after delivery. Receiving the hepatitis B vaccine can prevent your infant from developing chronic hepatitis B infection, which is the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide.
• Vitamin K: A single dose of vitamin K will be given to your newborn to reduce the risk of a rare but sometimes fatal bleeding disorder which can occur during the first 6 months of life.
• Erythromycin eye ointment: A single dose of erythromycin eye ointment will be applied to your newborn’s eyes to reduce the risk of certain eye infections which could potentially cause eye damage and blindness.
• Oxygen screen: Your newborn will have an oxygen screen to check for certain types of heart disease.
• Metabolic screen: A newborn metabolic screen will be performed. This is a blood test to detect inherited disorders that may have no symptoms early in life but can cause significant illness if not identified and treated early.
• Hearing screen: Your newborn will have a hearing screen. If the hearing screen is failed, a repeat test will be scheduled after discharge at a Kaiser Permanente medical office.
• Tdap and flu vaccines for the family: The Tdap vaccine and the flu vaccine are recommended for all family members who are caretakers for the member. These vaccines can be given to the mother in the hospital if not already received.

These are simple and safe tests that check for various diseases. A few drops of blood will be collected from your baby’s heel and analyzed for several genetic and metabolic diseases. You don’t need to do anything to prepare for this test. Just cuddle your baby afterward!

We’ll need quiet to perform this screening. Your baby should be well fed before the hearing screening, so that he or she is content and quiet during the test.

This is an optional cosmetic procedure for male babies done by the physician during your hospital stay in which the foreskin of the penis is removed. Your new baby must have a physical exam before the circumcision can be performed.

To better understand the procedure, we suggest you participate in circumcision education. You will also need to complete a consent form. Afterward, be sure to hold and cuddle your baby.

If you have any prescriptions for medications, have a family member fill them at the pharmacy before you leave for home.