Your stay

How long will you stay in hospital?

Normally, you will stay three nights on the Maternity Unit after a natural birth. In the case of a caesarean section, this is five nights.
Your stay may be extended because of medical reasons. Your gynaecologist or paediatrician will discuss this with you.
If everything is fine and you want to return home sooner, then this is possible as long as your gynaecologist and paediatrician agree.

What does you day look like?

From 7.30am: breakfast

From 8am: visit by gynaecologist and paediatrician

From 11.30am: lunch and coffee

12pm: afternoon rest

Around 3pm afternoon care

From 5.30am: dinner

Visit:

At Maria Middelares General Hospital: 2pm - 8pm
At St Vincent General Hospital in Deinze: 8pm - 10pm

We provide 24/24 maternity care and assistance with feeding and caring for your baby.

Follow-up by our paediatrician

Newborns on the Maternity Unit are seen by a paediatrician on a daily basis and are fully examined at least twice. This is because in the hours and days after the birth, a lot is still changing in the body of your baby. Through repeated check-ups, we can detect and treat potential problems or defects sooner. Some modifications of the body are not even complete yet on discharge from the hospital, and it is therefore advisable to have your baby examined again during a consultation when they are 7-10 days old.

The medical staff of our Paediatrics Department consists of an enthusiastic team of paediatricians. As a team, we provide medical care for children from when they are born until their 15^th birthday. We organise ourselves so that every day two paediatricians are responsible for the children admitted to our hospital: one with rounds for the patients in the Paediatrics Department and one with rounds for the newborns in Neonatal Unit, Maternity and Delivery Unit. This allows the other paediatricians to solely focus on consultations (but also on their own continuing professional development, training of others, meetings, etc.) One of the physicians is always on duty between 6pm and 8am during the week and throughout the weekend.

When you are admitted to the Delivery Unit you will be asked for your preferences in terms of paediatricians. If you have no preference, then the paediatrician on duty will examine your baby. If you prefer to see another paediatrician from our team while you are in hospital, that is of course possible, upon notification of the duty physician. Any decisions relating to treatment will always be taken in consultation with the duty physician.

Our hospital is a teaching hospital and the Maternity unit also has interns (medical students who have yet to pass their medical exams) and assistant physicians (who are studying for their paediatrics specialisation). It is therefore possible that one of these will examine your baby or is present at an examination during your stay.

Safety

Follow the guidelines above to keep yourself and your baby safe

Are you feeling very tired? Do not let the baby sleep on you, but put him or her safely into the cot.