Some hospitals have a special psychiatric ward where the baby can stay with the mum (a Mother and Baby Unit), but this is not always possible. Access to a mother baby unit may depend on where a woman lives as there are limited numbers of mother baby units across Australia.
Whilst it is always a priority for a baby to be kept with its mother, in many cases a woman will need to stay, at least initially, in an adult general psychiatric ward. If this is the case, the baby will need to be cared for by her partner or another support person. The length of time she can expect to stay in hospital will depend on how quickly she responds to treatment and has the confidence and ability to return home and care for her baby.
Mother and Baby Units
A Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) is a special unit within a public or private hospital facility. An MBU usually has a number of single rooms where the mother and baby are admitted together. Nursing staff in an MBU often do a lot of the baby care in the first few days so the mum can rest and sleep.
During her stay the woman’s mental health and well-being will be assessed and she will start receiving treatment. Treatment will vary, but medication will nearly always be needed. The woman will receive individual therapy with a psychiatrist and may have counselling with a psychologist.
As her mental health improves she may participate to join group therapy sessions with other mums. Many women find the support of other mums in the unit to be really helpful. Women will also be supported by nursing staff to care for their babies so they can gain confidence in their skills as a new mum.
Most MBUs require a referral from a health professional (for example, a GP). Most have waiting lists too. To find out details about whether there is an MBU near you and what is required to get into one, please phone PANDA’s National Helpline.
Tips for partners and support persons
You may feel uneasy about your partner or loved one being admitted to hospital, particularly if she is highly agitated and distressed about being there. It’s not uncommon to experience mixed emotions – possibly relief that she is safe and getting the care she needs combined with feelings of distress and guilt. Everyone’s response will differ. You are likely to feel exhausted, particularly if you are also trying to balance childcare and work responsibilities.
The initial few weeks in hospital is likely to be extremely difficult. Give your partner time. She may experience significant mood changes and severe anxiety. She may also say very hurtful things or things that make no sense. Don’t take her words to heart. Try to remember she is scared, just like you.
There will also be a lot of information from medical staff that you may not always fully understand. Don’t be afraid to ask medical staff to take the time to explain things to you. Another option is to ask for a social worker to assist you during the time your partner is in hospital.
It might help to keep a notebook so you can record things like:
- Important phone numbers
- Names of the psychiatrist and nurses caring for your loved one
- Dates and times of meetings e.g. ward rounds
- The spellings and dosages of medications
- Counselling options and support services available for you and your partner ask any questions you want to ask.
If your partner or loved one is being cared for in a general psychiatric hospital you may want to ask some of these questions to get a better understanding of what to expect during her stay:
- Is there somewhere to have some privacy when you visit (e.g. family rooms?)
- Can you visit with the baby? Are these visist supervised by medical staff? When and for how long? Do they have visiting hours for partners or can you come whenever you like?
- Are key support people allowed to visit and when?
- How do they plan to manage any postnatal physical issues (e.g. caesarean-section care, lactation care).
- What kinds of health professionals will be involved with your partner? What will they do?
- What is the expected length of stay?
- Will she have short periods of leave when you can take the baby for a walk around the
- Will there be supervised home visits?
- Will she have short periods of leave when you can take the baby for a walk outside the hospital?
- Is there the possibility of transferring to a mother baby unit (MBU) if a bed becomes available?
If your partner or loved one is being cared for in a mother baby unit you may want to ask:
- How does the hospital plan to look after your baby?
- Will they be supporting your partner to breastfeed or formula feed?
- How much baby care will your partner be doing and how much can you do when you
- Do they have visiting hours for partners or can you come whenever you like?
- Can you stay overnight with your partner?
- What kinds of health professionals will be involved with your partner? What will they do?