CONTACT
Sõle 23, 4th floor, enter from the visitors entrance
Neonatal ward open Mon-Sun 14:00 – 19:00
Assistant 666 5770
e-mail: pille.saik@keskhaigla.ee
Pelgulinna Maternity Hospital is a top-tier hospital. We have paediatricians and neonatologists on duty 24 hours a day, as well as the necessary equipment for the intensive care of newborn babies
After birth, the healthy newborn is placed on the mother’s breast and if possible he or she will remain there for the first two hours of life. In this way, skin-to-skin contact and the first breastfeeding take place during the first hours of life, which is extremely important for both the baby and the mother. If the baby is born by a Caesarean section, the father will be allowed to have the first skin-to-skin contact, and it is now also possible to put the baby to the mother’s breast during the Caesarean section.
Before being transferred to the postpartum ward, the baby is weighed and measured and is given an injection of vitamin K (Konakion) with the parents’ consent, to avoid the possible occurrence of bleeding and a haemorrhage. If necessary, the newborn will be checked by a paediatrician right after birth, but usually this occurs later on the family ward.
In the Maternity Hospital, the healthy baby remains with the mother or both parents on the ward and counselling, vaccinations and the other necessary procedures will also take place there.
NEONATAL DEPARTMENT
The Neonatal Department gives medical assistance to the littlest patients who require intensive care for different reasons. There are a number of reasons why a newborn baby may need intensive care: for instance a premature birth, neonatal jaundice, infections, etc. The intensive care ward offers an up-to-date environment for the monitoring and treatment of newborns. Additionally, the parents can stay with their baby 24 hours a day.
According to the immunisation schedule used in the Republic of Estonia, newborn babies are vaccinated while they are in the Maternity Hospital against tuberculosis and hepatitis B, after obtaining parental consent.
NEONATAL SCREENING TESTS
On the third day of life, screening tests are carried out to check for metabolic disorders. There is a 3-4% likelihood of a newborn having a hereditary or congenital disease.
One such group of diseases are hereditary metabolic disorders, where a gene defect interrupts the production, the breaking down or the functioning of certain proteins, sugars, fatty acids or other chemical substances, which causes the baby to have various health or developmental problems. Many of these diseases can be treated following a timely diagnosis; therefore, developed countries employ neonatal screening tests in order to find the children in need of treatment as early as possible.
From 1 January 2015, this screening programme has been scaled up and the newborns in Estonia are now examined for 20 different treatable diseases. Newborns are tested for metabolic disorders that may cause permanent damage to the nervous system in cases of late diagnosis, and may also affect other organ systems. All newborns can participate in the screening programme and it will not cause additional risks to the baby.
NEONATAL AUDITORY SCREENING
On the third day of life, the baby also undergoes an auditory screening, where a soft and flexible rubber-tipped sensor is placed in the beginning of the child’s auditory meatus. This sensor records the movements of musical sounds transmitted by the apparatus and detects how they are received by the child’s auditory organs.
The test results are shown on the screen of the instrument that records the movements and reflection of the sounds. This means the parents can learn the test results straight away. Children who successfully pass the auditory screening will not need to undergo further tests.
EARLY DISCHARGE
If the pregnancy and childbirth were normal, and the child was carried to term and is in good overall health, the family can leave the hospital before the child is 48 hours old. However, in such cases the screening tests for metabolic disorders and the auditory screening will not be performed and the child will need to return at a later date for an ambulatory consultation.
Head of
Department
Pille Saik
Pille.saik@keskhaigla.ee
Head of Nursing
Department
Kadri Madar
Kadri.Madar@keskhaigla.ee