Women, maternity and children's health in Nepean Blue Mountains

The Nepean Blue Mountains LHD antenatal clinics provide women with antenatal gynaecological care. We offer several options including general practitioners (GPs) shared care, caseload midwifery, obstetric led care and midwifery led care.

We recommend contacting the hospital at 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy to arrange for your first antenatal care appointment. On your first visit we will complete a comprehensive assessment of your medical history and discuss care options with you.

Other services for pregnant women at Nepean Blue Mountains LHD include psychological counselling, mental health and drug and alcohol services and a weight review service, which includes access to specialist dietitians, physiotherapy and psychologists.

Our dedicated maternity team provide support and care to women and babies before and after birth. Our maternity care consists of antenatal services, birthing units, postnatal units and nurseries where  and patients are cared for inwomen and families are cared for in single and shared rooms as required. antenatally and postnatally.

We have a general practitioners (GPs) shared care model of care for women, with the ability to have consultations within a midwifery led clinic.

After the birth, women are transferred to our postnatal unit where they will stay for between 4 and 24 hours after a normal vaginal birth and up to 48 hours after a caesarean birth.

In our postnatal units we offer educational sessions such as bathing demonstrations, infant feeding support and assistance with parenting skills.

Upon discharge from the hospital, we offer women a ‘Midwifery at home’ service within the hospital’s Local Government Area (LGA) where our experienced midwives provide ongoing support and education in the comfort of the patient’s your home. For patients women outside of the hospital’s LGA, we offer follow up care at the hospital.

We recommend contacting your local hospital at 10 weeks of pregnancy to arrange for your first antenatal care appointment. On your first visit we will complete a comprehensive assessment of your medical history and discuss care options with you.

Our experienced Midwives run classes to assist parents with making informed choices. Classes cover pregnancy, birth and the early months of parenting. They are inclusive of singles, couples, LGBTQIA+, teenagers and parents expecting again. The sessions cover a wide range of topics including:

• what to expect during the birth process, 
• natural methods of managing anxiety, discomfort and pain
• being a confident support person, 
• medications and birth interventions - risks and benefits
• breastfeeding, 
• understanding and responding to your newborn's cues,
• neighbourhood child and family support services.

Classes are currently held live online, except for at Hawkesbury District Hospital where they're in person. It's best to book before you are 24 weeks pregnant. For more information and to book a class, contact your local antenatal clinic. They are available 8:30am-3:30pm, Monday to Friday. 

• Nepean Hospital Antenatal Clinic, 02 4734 2373
• Blue Mountains ANZAC Memorial Hospital Maternity Unit, 02 4784 6573
• Hawkesbury District Hospital 02 4560 5714

Find out more in the Childbirth and early parenting classes section of our Maternity A-Z guide.

The FMAU provides extra assessments of women and their babies in the antenatal (pregnancy) period who have complex care needs. This may be a planned day stay visit or an unplanned visit for women if there are medical concerns for themselves or their unborn baby.

All babies born at Nepean Blue Mountains LHD hospitals are offered a free hearing test, through the State Wide Infant Screening – Hearing (SWISH) program.

SWISH detect hearing loss in newborn babies and help families access early treatment and support.

If a screening is not completed before you are discharged, you will be referred to one of our SWISH clinics.

For all SWISH enquiries or bookings phone (02) 4734 3246.

For further information about SWISH visit the NSW Health Hearing services page.

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a common eye disorder of premature or low birth weight babies. It is caused by the abnormal development of the retinal vessels, which is often accompanied by scar tissue. This scar tissue can progress and, if untreated, impact on the baby’s vision.

Screening is done on babies who are born at less than 32 weeks gestation and /or less than 1250g (1.25 kg). Testing begins between 30 and 33 weeks and continue until normal blood vessels have completely developed from the back up to the front of the eye. Approximately 80 per cent of ROP will resolve on its own and not need treatment. Babies with worsening disease need further treatment (e.g. laser eye surgery).

Tests are done by trained Screening Nurses with the RetCam. Pictures of the eye and blood vessel development are taken and sent to an opthalmologist and opthalmic surgeon for review and advice.

Nepean Blue Mountains LHD admits between 900 to 1000 newborns per year, approximately 10 per cent of these being under 30 weeks gestation at birth. 

The units provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive specialty care to newborn infants with a wide range of congenital and acquired conditions, including premature infants born as early as 24 weeks gestation.

Perinatal ultrasound provides ultrasound services for obstetric and gynaecological patients. The department performs approximately 14,000 scans per year using high resolution 2D, 3D and 4D imaging.

The following obstetric and prenatal testing services are available in the department:

• first trimester dating/viability scans
• first trimester nuchal translucency screening
• 18 to 20 week morphology scans
• third trimester growth scans
• tertiary referrals
• obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound
• Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
• amniocentesis
• counselling for NIPT (Non-invasive prenatal testing)
• fertility investigations including HyCoSy.

Gynaecological imaging including transabdominal or transvaginal pelvic ultrasounds and sonohysterography is also available.

The department is also involved in research in obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound. You may be asked by the reception staff to take part in research projects and information will be provided to you.  

For any pregnancy concerns including onset of labour, women can contact the Women’s Acute Assessment Unit (WAAU) for advice 24 hours a day. After an initial consultation, patients may be asked to present to the WAAU for further assessment where they will be seen by a midwife and or a doctor. If a woman is labouring, they will be transferred to a birth unit.

• COVID-19
• National Immunisation Program Schedule
• Whooping Cough (Petussis)
• Talking about immunisation for mothers and babies

• NSW Child and Family Health Services map
• Wentworth Healthcare (Blue Mountains | Hawkesbury | Lithgow | Penrith) Antenatal Shared Care

• The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network fact sheets
• The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network jaundice in newborn babies fact sheet (multiple languages available)
• NSW Health Safe sleeping for babies
• NSW Health Babies and children in the heat
• NSW Health Newborn bloodspot screening
• NSW Health Hearing services infant screening
• NSW Health My personal health record (the blue book)
• NSW Health Baby bundle
• Vitamin K for newborn babies - information for parents
• Red Nose advice hub

• Having a baby book (available in over 20 languages)
• Information for pregnant women: Oral iron choices for maternity
• Every Week Counts
• NSW Health Get Healthy in Pregnancy program
• Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence: Safer baby in pregnancy
• AMIHS Strong women, Strong babies pregnancy diary

• Raising Children Network
• Play group NSW
• Parentline NSW (Helpline 1300 1300 52)
• Deadly Tots - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parenting app
• Tresillian Family Care Service (Helpline 1300 272 736)
• Resourcing Parents NSW

• Safety for kids
• First Aid
• Kids Health (The Children’s Hospital at Westmead)

• Calmbirth classes
• Book calmbirth classes at Nepean Hospital

• NSW Perinatal Infant Mental Health Services (PIMHS)
• Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE)
• A guide for dads: Caring for your family during perinatal mental illness
• NSW Health Mental health services
• Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA)
• Beyond Blue Pregnancy and new parents

• Australian Breastfeeding Association
• Red Cross Milk Bank