Maternal & Child Health

We’re excited to support you and your family as you prepare for your baby’s arrival. To make your hospital experience smooth, safe, and comfortable, here’s what you need to know:

• Complete Your Questionnaire & Birth Plan
• Fill out the HPHA Pre-Operational/Pre-Procedural Patient Questionnaire and your Birth Plan (if available) before your admission.
• Print and complete both forms, then drop them off at the Maternal and Child Health Unit. This helps our team prepare for your care and support your birth preferences.
  
  
• Helpful Resources
• Welcome to the Maternal and Child Unit – Learn about our unit, including labour and delivery suites, postpartum rooms, family spaces, and safety features.
• What to Bring to Hospital – A checklist of essentials for you and your baby to make your stay more comfortable.
  
  
•  Acetaminophen in Pregnancy – Evidence-based resources to guide safe medication use during pregnancy:
• Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada – Statement on Acetaminophen Use in Pregnancy 
• First Exposure Medical Advisors FAQ 
• First Exposure Medical Advisors Infographic 

 We look forward to welcoming you and your family and supporting you throughout this special journey!

In collaboration with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and Healthcare Excellence Canada, our Maternal and Child Health Unit has implemented enhancements to help you feel better and recover faster after your Cesarean procedure.

The following resources are designed to guide you through each step of your pregnancy journey, from preparation to delivery, discharge, and returning home:

Video Guides

• C-Section ERAS – Learn about the ERAS approach and what to expect during your Cesarean delivery.

• Eating & Drinking Before Surgery – Guidelines to ensure a safe procedure and smooth recovery.
• Chlorhexidine Skin Cleaning Before Surgery – Instructions to reduce the risk of infection.

• Postpartum Care After Cesarean Delivery – Tips and guidance to support your recovery in the hospital and at home.
• Going Home with a PICO 7 Dressing – Instructions for safe care and monitoring once you return home.

• Scheduled Day – We cannot guarantee that patients will be induced on the booked day. Timing may be affected by the number of inductions, staffing, and clinical priorities.
• Induction Process – Inductions can be lengthy. You may be sent home for cervical ripening before active induction begins.
• Arrival Time – If you are instructed to come in for induction, please arrive by 8:00 a.m. unless you are advised otherwise.
• Phone Availability – You may be called in at night. Please keep your phone on and available.
• Triage & Priority – Inductions are triaged based on urgency to ensure patient safety.
• Care Team – We cannot guarantee that your own obstetrician will deliver your baby, or that the same anesthetist will perform your epidural.
• Duration – The induction process may take several hours to several days, depending on your individual situation.
• Respectful Environment – Aggression towards staff will not be tolerated. Our team is committed to providing safe, compassionate care.

• Medication-Induced Cervical Ripening – Medications such as prostaglandins are used to soften and prepare the cervix for labour.
• Oxytocin (Pitocin) Infusion – Medication given through an IV to stimulate uterine contractions.
• Mechanical Methods – Devices such as a balloon catheter may be used to gently open the cervix.
• Membrane Sweeping or Stripping – A procedure to help trigger natural labour when appropriate.

During your time in the Maternal and Child Health Unit, you will be supported by a team of caring healthcare professionals who are dedicated to providing safe, compassionate, and family-centred care.

Our Lactation Consultant is available to support your infant feeding needs, helping to set you and your baby up for success in the community after discharge.

After delivery, you may be moved into a room that best matches your accommodation preferences or according to insurance coverage, ensuring your comfort and privacy throughout your stay.

Our team is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of your newborn. As part of standard newborn care, the following may be offered: 

• Antibiotic Eye Ointment After Delivery — A small amount of antibiotic ointment may be applied to your baby’s eyes shortly after birth to help reduce the risk of ophthalmia neonatorum, an eye infection that can occur from bacteria present during delivery. This is offered based on clinical assessment and informed consent.
  
  
• Vitamin K — Newborns receive a Vitamin K injection soon after birth. Vitamin K helps the blood clot properly and significantly reduces the risk of serious bleeding (including internal bleeding) in the first weeks of life, since babies are born with low natural levels of this important nutrient.
  
  
• RSV Information and Prevention — Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common seasonal respiratory virus that can cause serious lower respiratory illness (such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia) in infants, especially during fall and winter. RSV prevention resources and options may include: 
  
  
• RSV Fact Sheet – Learn about RSV and how it spreads.
  
  
• Public Health RSV Prevention Program – Information on Ontario’s RSV prevention initiative, including publicly funded funded protection options like monoclonal antibodies (e.g., Beyfortus®) for eligible infants, which are given to help prevent severe RSV disease during their first RSV season.
  
  
• Beyfortus Parent Fact Sheet – Guidance for parents on the RSV antibody injection offered to newborns to help reduce the risk of RSV-related hospitalizations.

These interventions and resources are offered with your consent, and your care team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about them.

Our Maternal and Child Health team is committed to supporting you and your baby with evidence-based infant feeding guidance. We follow recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to help families make informed feeding choices and support healthy growth and development.

We provide support for breastfeeding, formula feeding, and combination feeding, and our team can help you with:

• Latch and positioning techniques
• Milk supply and pumping guidance
• Safe preparation and storage of formula
• Transitioning between feeding methods

• Infant Feeding Clinics and Supports | Huron Perth Public Health – Access local clinics, supports, and programs to help you meet your infant feeding goals.
• Bilingual Online Ontario Breastfeeding Services – Virtual support and resources in multiple languages.
• About Breastfeeding – Evidence-based tips for successful breastfeeding.
• Breastfeeding Matters – Evidence-based tips for successful breastfeeding.
• Breastfeeding Your Late Preterm Baby – Specialized guidance for babies born slightly early.
• Infant Formula and What You Need to Know – Safe preparation and feeding guidelines.
• Mixing Alcohol and Breastfeeding – Information to help you make safe choices.
• Risks of Cannabis on Fertility, Breastfeeding, and Parenting – Evidence-based guidance to support safe parenting and infant care.
• Learn more about cannabis, pregnancy, and breastfeeding by visiting the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) – About Breastfeeding website.