A lot of parents I know do not use the local Childhood healthcare centres. Where I live I am fortunate to have a childhood healthcare centre only Kilometers from my house. In this post I want to explain what services my local centre provides, and why I feel more parents need to use them.
The local Childhood Healthcare centre has several free services and provides information on a range of parenting issues.
On the families.nsw site they state:
You can get help and information on:
breastfeeding
coping with sleeping and crying problems
immunisations
safety
baby’s growth and development
http://www.families.nsw.gov.au/support/child-health-services.htm
1-4 week checkup
After returning home from hospital I was given the number of the local healthcare centre. I was to ring and make an appointment with a healthcare nurse. When arranging the appointment the nurse asked a series of questions regarding the house in order for the nurse to arrive safely and without hassle.
When the nurse was here she provided information regarding safe sleeping and other newborn information. She went through bubs' sleeping and feeding to assess any issues that may have been occurring.
The healthcare nurses work along with the Baby Blue book. When there is a tab for a checkup that is when there needs to be an appointment with the Healthcare nurses. They are very thorough and go through any issues arising.
Weekly walk-ins
At my local centre there is a weekly breastfeeding support group where parents can bring their babies along to weigh, discuss issues with sleeping or feeding, and have support from the nurses regarding any breastfeeding concerns.
The nurses are very welcoming and are very informative. The thing I love about this walk-in group is that there is no commitment, you're not locked in to go, but they provide support and guidance. Also, that parents can take their baby down to be weighed and checked weekly/ fortnightly/monthly.
I feel that more parents should use healthcare centres for their wonderful services and support that they provide. My local centre is amazing and I have regularly taken bubs down to be weighed and checked by the nurses. I have an appointment booked with a nurse in the following weeks for the next checkup (6-8 week checkup.)
With having the doctor check and the healthcare checks, I am confident that an issue or concern that arises with bubs will be detected early and this could mean eliminating it before it becomes too serious.
When I was a child, my mum used to take me to the same healthcare centre. I began to loose weight as a child (I had bad anxiety and stopped eating) By having the support and access to the nurses my mum was able to check my weight and discuss options for helping me through it. It really helped with early eliminating of an issue that could have been very problematic and a health concern.
I used the healthcare centre with my daughter 8 years ago as well. I had major concerns with breastfeeding and OJ's weight gain. I was very worried that she wasn't putting on enough weight and that BF wasn't providing her with enough milk. After discussing this with the nurses, weighing her, I became confident that I was doing okay. They gave me tips to improve latch and have her getting the correct amount of milk.
If you have access to a healthcare centre and healthcare nurses I would use the service as regularly as you are able to. The support I have received so far with my daughter, and now bubs, has given me the confidence that I am providing my children with the best possible welfare.
Comments