Maternal and Child Health (MACH)

We offer home visits to all families with newborns with a referral from their midwife. This first visit is an chance to discuss the wellbeing and any health issues of you and your baby. It can also provide you with information about local services for parents.

Please contact the CHI team for more information.

You can visit the MACH nurses for information and advice on parenting, child health, breastfeeding, nutrition and feeding issues, keeping your child safe, toddler behaviour issues, adjustment to parenthood and maternal emotional health.

You can also make an appointment for your Child’s Health Check.

Please make an appointment through the CHI team.

Drop-in clinics are available for brief visits between booked appointments. These clinics are best suited for quick questions and updates, not comprehensive health checks. Self-weigh facilities are also available at most clinics.

You don’t need to make an appointment for these clinics and most visits are kept to a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes per client.

You can see times and clinic locations in the MACH Clinic Times Flyer.

The New Parent Group is a 4-week program run by our MACH nurses. It gives you the opportunity to meet other first-time parents with babies of a similar age, discuss topics and issues about parenting and caring for yourself and your baby and find out how to access services available to you in the community.

This group is available to parents of infants under 4 months.

Please book well ahead of time through the CHI team.

We offer several groups to help you improve sleep and settling for your baby.

Early Days

Early Days are group sessions that provide information and support for breastfeeding, bottle feeding and settling infants under 3 months.

Early days Sleep Group Flyer

These sessions are held on the following days, at various locations:

No appointment is necessary—please arrive at the session location by 9:30am.

Sleep and settling information sessions

Sleep and settling groups provide information about how to get your baby to settle and sleep better. We hold 3 age specific sessions for:

• 3 to 8 months
• 9 to 18 months
• 19 months and 3 years

Please book an appointment through the CHI team and bring any equipment you may need to care for your baby to the appointment.

The Early Parenting Counselling services provides support and advice to help you better manage and overcome challenges that you may face in the early stages of family life.

This service is available to ACT parents and caregivers of children aged 0 to 5 years, as well as pregnant women and their partners.

Our counsellors are available to help with:

• Adjusting to being a parent
• Dealing with stress that can make parenting more difficult
• Connecting with your baby and toddler
• Bonding, attachment and positive parenting practices
• Emotional wellbeing for expectant mothers and fathers
• Managing antenatal and postnatal anxiety, distress and depression
• Experiences of grief and loss
• Coping with a difficult or traumatic birth experience
• The impact of past experiences, childhood trauma, or family violence on well-being or parenting confidence
• Family or relationship challenges in the early parenting years
• Feeling isolated from family, friends or the community
• Coping with having a baby with developmental delays, disabilities, or additional needs
• Connecting with other support services

Who can use this service?

All parents and caregivers in the ACT with children (0-5years of age), and

All pregnant women and their partners in the ACT

Cost

This service is free to Medicare and Asylum Seeker card holders

Make an appointment

Call Central Health Intake (CHI) on (02) 6207 9977 between 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays)

Appointments are available at Tuggeranong, Belconnen or Gungahlin Community Health Centres, or home visit under exceptional circumstances

Resources

• Early Parenting Counselling Service
• Fathers Matter: Counselling support for all men
• PANDSI
• Beyondblue
• Raising children
• Child Development Service
• Red Nose
• Domestic Violence Crisis Service
• Coping after a difficult birth
• Social Work service brochure
• Men's birth trauma
• Mindfulness Audio 1
• Mindfulness Audio 2
• Mindfulness Audio 3
• Mindfulness Audio 4
• Mindfulness Audio 5
• Mindfulness Audio 6