Infant Feeding
Breast milk is the best possible food for your baby.  Within the first hour or two of life, your baby will go to breast.  Each of our nurses has had training in helping with breastfeeding and will help you throughout your stay.  Preparing to breastfeed by attending a prenatal class will be very helpful for you and your partner. If you are formula feeding your infant, the nurses will teach you about feeding techniques.  They will discuss formula selection and feeding patterns of newborns. 

Breastfeeding Assistance
We have nurses who specialize in breastfeeding assistance. They are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants.  They are here seven days a week. If you need help with breastfeeding your baby, the nurses may ask a lactation consultant to assess the feeding.  They will make a detailed plan of care with you.  If your baby is unable to go to breast, the nurses will have you begin pumping soon after the baby’s birth. 

If your baby needs extra care and must stay in the Newborn Nursery, NICU, CCN, or Barbara Bush Pediatric Inpatient Unit, the Lactation Consultants are able to continue to meet with you and your baby to ensure that you have a successful breastfeeding experience.

Newborn Tests and Procedures
By law, all newborns are tested for several rare but serious medical conditions. Babies with these conditions may look healthy at birth. If not treated, these conditions can cause health problems such as mental retardation, slow growth, and even death. With treatment, these problems may be prevented.

Hearing Screening
Maine requires newborns’ hearing to be screened before they are discharged from the hospital. A child develops critical speaking and language skills in the first few years of life, and if a hearing loss is caught early, doctors can treat it so that it doesn’t interfere with that development.

Circumcision 
Click to view information in Before Your Stay

Hepatitis B Vaccination
Click to view information in Before Your Stay

Infant Security 
Soon after the birth your nurse will apply identical ID bracelets to you, your baby, and your birth partner.  Those bands will be checked each time your baby leaves the nursery, has testing or procedures done, returns to you, and at the time of discharge. Leave your matching identification bracelets on you, your partner, and your baby until after the baby has been discharged.  We also have an electronic system that will help us be sure of the baby’s safety in our unit.  This electronic tag is also attached to an ID band that will be removed only at discharge. This electronic tag alarms if your baby is removed from the unit.  Identifying footprints will also be done shortly after delivery.

You are the most important person in keeping your baby safe.  Please never leave your baby alone at any time.  All of our hospital staff must wear a photo ID badge. Staff providing care to infants have a special pink band across the bottom of their ID badge.  Only staff with the pink stripe should transport your baby. Immediately tell our staff of anyone you think is suspicious. Avoid carrying your baby in your arms outside of your room.  Place him or her in a bassinet for transport. Staff will approach anyone carrying a newborn in the halls. 

Birth Certificates
Fill in the birth certificate worksheet that you will receive from Health Information Management so it can be sent to Augusta.  In 4-5 weeks, your baby’s birth certificate will be available at your town or city hall.

If you need to fill in paternity papers, both parents must sign the paternity form in front of a notary public.  You may get the papers notarized at the Family Birth Center.  The forms are sent to Portland and Augusta.

You may complete a birth announcement form to share the news of your baby’s birth with your local newspaper. These are brought to families by the MMC volunteers.