Transferring your baby to a Level 2 nursery closer to home
When your baby is more stable and no longer needs intensive care, he/she may be transferred to a Level 2 Nursery closer to your home. One of the main focuses of the Level 2 nursery is preparing for the baby to go home. You may wish to contact the hospital closer to your home to find out more information about their Level 2 nursery.
As a regional perinatal centre, it is important that we continue to ensure our patients have access to the specialized services our Women's and Infant's Health Unit provides.
Closer to home - this gives you more opportunity to visit and care for your baby. You will get to know the hospital, staff and services that you or your baby may need to use in the future.
We try to give you your choice of hospital (usually, this is the hospital you were originally planning to deliver at). However, even if you were planning to deliver at Mount Sinai Hospital, we may still transfer your baby.
Each morning we call the hospital to see if they have a bed for your baby.
We transfer your information directly to the other hospital. A report is exchanged from nurse to nurse and another from doctor to doctor.
Once a space is found, we book an ambulance. Accompanied by a nurse, your baby will be transferred in a transport incubator with his/her cardiac monitor.
We will keep you informed of bed space availability and call you before your baby leaves. It is important that we have your up-to-date contact information.
We will send a discharge summary (written report) with your baby outlining the medical care received at Mount Sinai.
The same basic care is given, but nursery rules may differ.
Feeding schedules or techniques may be different, but we will tell them what we've done in the past and what you and your baby are currently working on.
If your baby is in a cot or crib, it is possible that they will put your baby back in an incubator for 24 hours (this is for infection control purposes).
You may want to take a tour of the new nursery before your baby is transferred. Please contact them directly.
You may notice that the community Level 2 nursery has a lower number of babies. You may also notice that the monitor alarms do not ring as much since these babies do not require as much medical or nursing care.
