Covid-19

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A welcome video during COVID-19 by

The Master, Prof. Shane Higgins

Partner Visitor Notice

Designated partners coming from an area, which has local restrictions in place are very much welcome to support their partner in labour and delivery.

However, to help us continue to provide the safest care possible, we're also asking partners from these specific areas not to visit in the antenatal or postnatal period at this time.

Face coverings are mandatory for all partners, while within the hospital or access may be refused.

We appreciate your cooperation, thank you for helping us ensure the safety of our patients and staff.

NMH COVID-19 for Patients

Please contact the hospital on 01 637 3100 and ask for bleep 049 if you have any concerns about your pregnancy, especially reduced fetal movements.

For the saftey of patients, babies and staff, ALL outpatients and visitors to The NMH must wear their own face covering at this time. We very much appreciate your co-operation with this.

Visiting the Hospital

In order to protect mothers, babies and staff and to provide a safe environment, we ask that you follow the guidelines below when you visit the hospital:

Please visit the hospital alone and wear your own face covering if you are:

Attending for an Antenatal Visit.
Attending for an Ultrasound Scan.

You may bring a birth partner/support person with you if you are:

Attending the Labour Ward or Theatre for a caesarean section. Please wear your own face covering and ask your partner/support person to do the same. Thank you.

Visiting advice for partners/nominated person post birth:

We welcome partner/nominated person to visit Mum and new baby for a limited time of up to two consecutive hours, each day under the following guidelines:

- On arrival to the admissions office, an NMH official visitor card will be issued to you for sole use by your partner/nominated person. Please do not share this card with anyone else to allow us to continue to limit footfall in the hospital.

- Your partner/nominated person must maintain good hygiene standards such as washing their hands and coughing etiquette at all times. Hand washing facilities are available on the ground floor as you enter the hospital.

- Your partner/nominated person must wear a face mask or face covering (provided by self) as strongly recommended by HSE Guidelines.

- In order to comply with social distancing, we ask your partner/nominated person to remain at your bedside. Please note that your partner may be asked to leave or wait before entering the ward if the unit is particularly busy at that time.

- A record of your partner’s time of arrival and departure each day must be kept by you (in case it is needed for contact tracing).

- Unfortunately, we cannot allow children to visit at the moment.

For all visitors, we ask that if you are feeling unwell, please do not come to the hospital. We are doing our best to keep you, your baby and staff safe and very much appreciate your co-operation in adhering to our guidelines, which we are reviewing on an on-going basis.

Your cooperation with these guidelines is very much appreciated

Visiting your baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit:

Restrictions for parents of babies in NICU have been lifted, all mums and dads can now visit whenever they chose. Further details on visiting the NICU are below.

Visiting The NMH

All other visitors to the hospital, including children, are asked NOT TO VISIT at this time. We understand these are difficult asks for parents. Please be assured that your health and the health of your baby are our priority.

Digital Resources

The National Maternity Hospital has put together an information resource regarding COVID-19 and Pregnancy for Women, please click on the picture below to view.

For further online courses to help you through pregnancy and beyond, please visit our eLearning Hub.

Our dedicated Antenatal Education team are also on hand to help in every way they can, please see Antenatal Education & Preparation for further information and resources.

Information on COVID-19 and Pregnancy for Women

This has been translated into the following languages, please click on link to view.

What to do if you’re expecting and you develop symptoms or get a diagnosis of COVID-19?

If you’re an expectant mother with symptoms or a diagnosis of COVID-19, it’s important to get in touch with us to let us know about your condition (01 637 3500). We can advise you and give you all the information you need about how this affects you.

Measures to Control the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection

Due to concerns about the potential spread of the COVID-19 Virus, we at The National Maternity Hospital have had to make some changes to how patients and visitors access the hospital:

Maternity Outpatient appointments: Please attend these appointments wearing your own face covering unless you hear from the hospital.
Ultrasound Scanning appointments: Please attend these appointments wearing your own face covering unless you hear from the hospital.
Antenatal Classes: All antenatal classes are cancelled until further notice.
Gynaecology: Clinics are gradually resuming. We are asking all patients to please attend appointments unaccompanied due to space issues and social distancing. Please arrive no more than five minutes before your allocated time and wear your own face covering. Our clinic hours have been extended to 07.30-18.30hrs and two sessions per day have been increased to three sessions, as we do our very best to see patients as quickly as possible. Renovations to the clinic are in progress and hopefully will be completed by October, we wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Phlebotomy Services are by appointmnet only. To make an appointment, please contact 01 637 3502/3504.
Physiotherapy: All Physiotherapy Outpatient appointments are postponed due to COVID-19 until further notice.

Your medical team will be in touch with you to discuss how these changes affect you, and the resources you can access to keep you healthy during pregnancy.

COVID-19 - The NMH 4-point plan for any patient concerned they may have COVID-19:

When you go into labour: the isolation ward is specially designed to be a safe environment during labour and afterwards to keep you and your baby safe and well.
We’re here to help.
Please call us on (01) 637 3500

If your baby becomes unwell after discharge home:

If you have a diagnosis or symptoms of COVID-19, or your baby has been in contact with someone with COVID-19, it’s particularly important to observe your baby for signs of infection for at least 14 days after their last contact with the infection. As a first step, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the use of a thermometer and how to take your baby's temperature. It may be difficult in a baby to distinguish between signs of COVID-19 or any other type of infection. Please contact your doctor for further advice if your baby is unwell with any of the following symptoms:

abnormal temperature [<36.0°C or >38.0°C]
poor feeding
difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
lethargy or sleepiness
tummy upset - recurrent diarrhoea and/or vomiting

If you baby has a snuffly nose and/or cough but your child is otherwise well and DOES NOT have abnormal temperature or breathing difficulties, you can continue to observe them at home.

If your baby is unwell and needs to be seen by a doctor, call your GP to arrange a review or bring them to a children's hospital. If for any reason you need to bring your baby to a hospital or GP practice after discharge PLEASE PHONE AHEAD.

Thank you for helping us ensure the safety of our patients and staff.

Resources

Updated Visiting Restrictions to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

We are absolutely delighted to anounce that restrictions have been lifted in our NICU and all mums and dads can now visit whenever they chose. Unfortunately, Grandparents cannot visit at present. We will continue to review our policy on a weekly basis.

Our neonatal service is a recognised centre of excellence and takes referrals for acutely ill and pre-term babies from across the country. We care for approximately 1,300 babies each year.

We are acutely aware that our visitor restrictions were strict throughout COVID-19. As a tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit, we receive babies from all over Ireland and many are extremely preterm. Due to the speciality involved in taking care of our most vulnerable little baby bundles, we needed to protect our staff, so that they could continue to be here and give our babies the best possible care. We did our best to maximise technology available to us to facilitate video coverage of your baby and will continue to do so post COVID.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our parents and families for your understanding, respect, support and kindness throghout the past very difficult months, we really appreciate it.

How to Register a Birth during Covid19

How to Register a Birth

During the coronavirus pandemic you can apply to register a birth or purchase a certificate of birth by e-mail or by post. There is no need for you to attend the civil registration service offices in person.

For more information, visit the HSE website here

Women’s Health After Motherhood - Course

Learn how to take care of your physical and mental health after giving birth and feel supported during the postpartum period.

This course will help you explore postpartum health problems and learn when to seek help as a new mother.

After giving birth, women can struggle to access reliable resources and trustworthy information regarding their own health. There can be confusion surrounding what is and what isn’t normal after giving birth and many mothers unnecessarily suffer in silence.

On this course, you will gain advice and strategies on how to prioritise postpartum care and help women support one another during the postpartum period. You will address common physical and mental health challenges after birth, learning how to help yourself and when to seek professional healthcare.