Telephone consultation and short home or centre visits of no more than 15 minutes to be conducted.

Your Maternal and Child Health nurse will call you on the morning of your appointment and arrange a time to contact you.

Breastfeeding clinics will be via the phone. Please call the Lactation Consultant on (03) 5734 6253 to let them know you want assistance and they will contact you.

Sleep and Settling will be via the phone on (03) 5734 6253.

We provide a free family-centred service to parents and carers with children from birth to school age.

Our highly qualified and experienced Maternal and Child Health Nurses offer families guidance, support and information in all aspects of parenting, child health and development, maternal health and family well-being.

Our childhood immunisation service is offered free to all children.

To make an appointment, please phone our central bookings number on 03 5734 6253.

If you are new to the Mitchell Shire and have children between birth and 4 years, please contact us to make an appointment.

You can make an appointment by phoning MCH Central Bookings on 03 5734 6253 during business hours.

These appointments help ensure that your child is healthy, and growing and developing according to their age group. Your child will be weighed, measured, and undergo simple tests for hearing, speech, nutrition and much more. We discuss your concerns and talk about your parenting experiences and what you can do to improve your child’s health, growth and development.

The 10 key age and stage visits are:

• home visit
• 2 weeks
• 4 weeks
• 8 weeks
• 4 months
• 8 months
• 12 months
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 3.5 years

If you are a first-time parent or have particular needs, ask us about extra visits.

For more information on what you can expect at each visit, head to Department of Education and Training: Maternal and Child Health Service.

We provide guidance and advice about baby’s nutrition, feeding support, parenting, development, safety and current immunisation practices.

If required, our Maternal and Child Health Nurses can refer children and families to other services including:

• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• audiology
• parenting services
• speech therapy
  

New parents can come together at our New Parents' Groups to share information and develop social networks. Ask your Maternal and Child Health Nurse about joining a New Parents’ Group.

Maternal and Child Health Nurses can offer advice and support around sleep and settling, and refer you to agencies that specialise in sleep and settling services.

Breastfeeding clinics will be via the phone. Please call the Lactation Consultant on (03) 5734 6253 to let them know you want assistance and they will contact you.

More information

We provide additional in home support for families experiencing significant early parenting difficulties through our Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Service.

Referrals are made through your Maternal and Child Health Nurse.

For professional referrals, please download the form below.

We run free, funded supported playgroups for pre-school children for families that hold a Health Care Card or type of concession card, identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or have children in kinship care.

Supported playgroups offer families a safe place to play and interact with their children. It is an opportunity to meet other families and learning more about community groups that can support your children.

Our trained facilitator is there to offer support and strategies through the Smalltalk program offered during each session. Smalltalk strategies enhance everyday parenting opportunities, building positive interactions for improved learning and development in the home environment.

The Supported Playgroup Facilitator can also run an in-home program throughout the term for those that may need more one-on-one support in their parenting. These structured sessions operate during Victorian school terms.

The Victorian Government has created a Maternal and Child Health app that:

• provides access to health and development information matched to the age of your child
• charts your baby’s growth on an interactive growth tracker
• reminds you about upcoming MCH appointments
• has Nora (the virtual MCH nurse) on hand to answer your questions

Find out more and access the download links on the Department of Education and Training website.