Special Care Nursery
Special Care Nursery – Jessie SCN
At Jessie McPherson Private, whilst we anticipate the smooth and safe arrival of your baby, you can be comforted by the knowledge that we can provide specialised high level care in our Special Care Nursery.
We have a Level 2 Special Care Nursery on the Jessie Maternity Ward, and due to our location at Monash Medical Centre we also have a Level 6 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Monash Children’s Hospital onsite.
What is a Special Care Nursery?
Special care nurseries (SCNs) look after babies who are born moderately preterm and/or with low birth weight, or who require care for problems arising in the neonatal period. Special care nurseries also provide step-down care for babies who have spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and no longer need the highest level of care provided by a NICU.
On the Jessie Maternity Ward we have a Level 2 Special Care Nursery. Our special care nursery has specialist doctors called neonatologists, neonatal nurses, other professionals and equipment to care for premature babies.
Because they are born with fewer weeks of gestation, many premature babies will require care in a higher level nursery than a Level 1 well newborn nursery. Babies born at greater gestation than 32 weeks but less than 35 weeks will most likely require some care in our Jessie SCN.
The Jessie SCN has all the capabilities of a Level 1 nursery as well as paediatric specialists, neonatologists and neonatal nurses on site.
The Jessie SCN has equipment and capabilities to care for babies who are:
- Born between 32 weeks and 35 weeks gestation or older and weigh 1500g or more.
- Physiologically immature or moderately ill with problems that are expected to resolve rapidly.
- Can’t stay warm on their own and need to be placed in an incubator.
- Aren’t strong enough to eat well and need NG or OG feeds.
- Have mild health problems related to prematurity, such as jaundice.
- Have spent time in NICU and are recovering.
What to Expect When Your Baby is in a Special Care Nursery
In our special care nursery, neonatologists – doctors who are specialists in newborn or neonatal care – care for your baby. Your baby will see other medical specialists if they need them.
Some premature babies who need less intensive care will go straight to the Jessie SCN after birth, instead of the NICU, those that have been to NICU first will spend time in SCN once they’re well enough.
Your baby is monitored closely by nurses, if your baby has come from the NICU, most of the technology that was used to care for them there will have gone because they no longer need it.
In the SCN, you can start doing more things for your baby. You can cuddle them for much longer and take over some of their care, such as nappy changes. Your baby might also start to breastfeed if they had previously been feeding through a tube.
Your baby will come out of the incubator while they’re in the special care nursery and will sleep in an open cot where you can touch them more easily.
What if my Newborn Needs a Higher Level of Care?
Jessie McPherson Private Hospital is co-located at Monash Medical Centre Clayton, on the same site we have the new Monash Children’s Hospital.
As part of the Monash Medical Centre precinct, when you deliver at Jessie McPherson Private you have access to a comprehensive range of specialist services that Monash Health’s state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities has to offer, including:
- NICU – Monash Newborn at MCH
- Adult Intensive Care
- Neonatologists
- Paediatricians
- Anaesthetists
- Surgeons
- All the facilities that come with a 24/7 high-level tertiary teaching and research hospital.
How Does Access to the Jessie Special Care Nursery benefit me?
If you choose to have your baby at Jessie McPherson Private you can rest assured that should you need any additional medical support you and your baby (or babies!) have access to specialised high-level care from both our Jessie SCN and the facilities at Monash Medical Centre, including Monash Children’s Hospital. All of this specialised care 24/7, whilst receiving the individual attention and comfort provided by a private hospital setting.
You won’t find that level of support and more importantly peace of mind anywhere else.
Find out more about our maternity facilities by booking on a maternity tour here.
Learn more about the Obstetricians that choose Jessie McPherson here.
