Mercy Hospital Melb NICU/SCU

[crumpet]

hey girls...

just wanting to hear from anyone who has experienced the NICU or SCU at the mercy in heidelberg in melb...

we are facing a stay in one of these units and i just would like to hear ur experiences and any info u have about how they operate etc....

im not seeing my OB for 2 weeks so im info sourcing here before i get to speak to him..

many thanks in advance

[Ahurani]

Hi hun

Wasn't my baby obv but both my friends babies were born there at 27-29 weeks and both in the nicu. She had nothing but praise for the staff there. I went there to visit a few times and the staff were lovely and so caring considering the circumstances it was a lovely environment iykwim. Good luck hun xox

[crumpet]

thats great to know!!

thank you!

so baby can have visitors if we want them??

we would only have the grandmas and 2 aunties to be able to see her, but not to hold her if she was in NICU

[Ahurani]

From what I remember there is a 2 person at a time rule but any visitors were allowed just not all at once get used to washing your hands :P

[crumpet]

From what I remember there is a 2 person at a time rule but any visitors were allowed just not all at once get used to washing your hands :P

ok cool thank you!! is that say mum or dad and one visitor ?

lol i will, that was the first thing my GF said to me!

[Early Kids]

KEMH Perth have a two visitor rule and one of those must be a parent, there are exception to the rule for instance, DP Brendan and I were all allowed in to visit Tristan.

I have heard nothing but good experiences from my friends who have been through the hospital, actually I haven't heard many bad experiences from ANY NICU hospitals.

[Ahurani]

It's mum or dad plus a visitor but I'm sure they have exceptions

[mummato1]

My girlfriend has recently had experience with the Mercy NICU, and has nothing but praise for the staff and hospital!!

[crumpet]

KEMH Perth have a two visitor rule and one of those must be a parent, there are exception to the rule for instance, DP Brendan and I were all allowed in to visit Tristan.

I have heard nothing but good experiences from my friends who have been through the hospital, actually I haven't heard many bad experiences from ANY NICU hospitals.

ok thanks!

It's mum or dad plus a visitor but I'm sure they have exceptions

thats great ot know thank you!

My girlfriend has recently had experience with the Mercy NICU, and has nothing but praise for the staff and hospital!!

oh thats fantastic!! always nice to have good feedback!

[Beach Mama]

No experience with the NICU/SCU but I had J there, and the staff are just lovely and we would go back in a flash if we were going to have another. Good luck xoxox

[Sally2]

Both of our boys were born at and stayed in the NICU/SCN at the Mercy @ Heidelberg and we have nothing but praise for the amazing people who helped us through both journey's.
The people there are truly exceptional, I have so much respect for the people that gave us our boys into our arms after their stay at the Mercy.

Two visitors at a time in NICU & special care, so a parent & a grandparent can visit together, so to speak. As there are 4 to 6 beds in each 'room' in NICU, it is important to respect those numbers as it can get really intrusive if you are visiting your baby and the baby next to you has three or four people crowded around all talking & interacting. While the NICU can become a second home for some people with long term babies in there, it is really overwhelming in those first few days & weeks of having your baby in such a place so it can easily become too much if there are too many people around.
The staff will be really encouraging of 'kangaroo care', skin to skin contact between mum & bub first, then dad & bub as she becomes more stable. Grandparents probably won't be encouraged to do cuddling in NICU, more likely as she progresses down through special care, but she is your baby so if you want grandparents to have cuddles, then tell your nurse! In the early days though, particularly if she is fragile, those cuddles are few & far between so you will probably want to save them for yourself & DH ( totally understandably! ) When she comes home might be a better time for all those cuddles I'm sure everyone will be desperate for! Lots of touching of bub in the isolette ( the little capsule premmies usually end up in to control their body temp ) is encouraged for any visitors that you are comfortable with touching her. Also for you to assist with changing her nappy, taking her temp & looking after her as much as you can.

Anyway, Crumpet, you are going full term or at least far enough along to skip NICU altogether! If Beema can do it, so can you !
So, positive vibes for little bub staying in there as long as possible & if you want to know anymore, just let me know.

P.S. still really good friends with two of our nurses from Charlie's NICU stay & facebook friends with a lot of others. Nothing but praise for the Mercy!!!

[crumpet]

No experience with the NICU/SCU but I had J there, and the staff are just lovely and we would go back in a flash if we were going to have another. Good luck xoxox

thank you!
i delivered our angel baby there and the staff we outstanding so im not worried about going there in the respect...

Both of our boys were born at and stayed in the NICU/SCN at the Mercy @ Heidelberg and we have nothing but praise for the amazing people who helped us through both journey's.
The people there are truly exceptional, I have so much respect for the people that gave us our boys into our arms after their stay at the Mercy.

Two visitors at a time in NICU & special care, so a parent & a grandparent can visit together, so to speak. As there are 4 to 6 beds in each 'room' in NICU, it is important to respect those numbers as it can get really intrusive if you are visiting your baby and the baby next to you has three or four people crowded around all talking & interacting. While the NICU can become a second home for some people with long term babies in there, it is really overwhelming in those first few days & weeks of having your baby in such a place so it can easily become too much if there are too many people around.
The staff will be really encouraging of 'kangaroo care', skin to skin contact between mum & bub first, then dad & bub as she becomes more stable. Grandparents probably won't be encouraged to do cuddling in NICU, more likely as she progresses down through special care, but she is your baby so if you want grandparents to have cuddles, then tell your nurse! In the early days though, particularly if she is fragile, those cuddles are few & far between so you will probably want to save them for yourself & DH ( totally understandably! ) When she comes home might be a better time for all those cuddles I'm sure everyone will be desperate for! Lots of touching of bub in the isolette ( the little capsule premmies usually end up in to control their body temp ) is encouraged for any visitors that you are comfortable with touching her. Also for you to assist with changing her nappy, taking her temp & looking after her as much as you can.

Anyway, Crumpet, you are going full term or at least far enough along to skip NICU altogether! If Beema can do it, so can you !
So, positive vibes for little bub staying in there as long as possible & if you want to know anymore, just let me know.

P.S. still really good friends with two of our nurses from Charlie's NICU stay & facebook friends with a lot of others. Nothing but praise for the Mercy!!!

wow thats great thanks hun!!

aww thanks hun, i heop ur right!!
i tell you what beema is not dar from my mind remembering how well she did i can only hope to do as well, and our complications arnt as complex as her's were so there is a bit of hope there!

the middies were amazing in jan when we were there so i can only imagine how awsome their NICU and SCU staff are!

my OB said in general if u deliver after 32weeks u skip NICU does that sound about right? i realise its all dependant on how madam is going breathing etc but as a rough guide?

[Early Kids]

You've got a good chance of skipping NICU, but it's nothing concrete. Tristan was 34+3 and he had to be ventilated at birth and therefore went to NICU. There are a lot of variables depending on that too, drugs during labour, length of labour, if bub goes into distress, ect, ect.

[Mother Goose]

I have a good friend who is a nurse at Mercy and currently in SCN. She is lovely. If the other nurses are half as nice and competent as her, you will be very blessed. I've not heard a negative thing about the place and I've had numerous clients with babies who have ended up in their for various reasons.

MG

[Persephone1]

Our DS was in NICU at the Mercy, but for less than one day. The staff were fantastic, very supportive of breastfeeding/colostrum through a syringe and skin-to-skin etc. Couldn't fault them, although obviously our experience was short-lived. Hopefully yours will be too!

[crumpet]

thanks everyone!!

[nickers]

My son Nixon was born @ the Mercy 4 1/2 yrs ago, he was born at33+3 weeks.
The facility is fantastic as were the staff. we were able to have a tour of scn the day before Nixon was born which really helped both dh and I, but we didnt really go into NICU as the nurse said we wouldnt need to be going in there having got to 33wks.
We had a paed talk to us about how 32-33weekers generally do, they thought he'd likely only do a SCN but he end up being in NICU the first 5 days. even though thats short in comparission to many others it was still a very tough time.

After Nixon was off monitors in SCN we were able to wheel him just out the door for some visitors to meet him (this was after he was afew wks old) and yes it was 2 ppl at a time, but when Nixon was first born i got wheeled into nicu in my bed, there was me and my big bed, dh,and my 2 parents along with all the docs.
I had my parents (then when they left dh parents) down from interstate, so they made an exception and let both of them in with me and i & they allowed them to go in without 1 of us (when dh wasnt there and i was still bed bound upstairs)