Your hospital stay

A shot given to boost your baby’s level of vitamin K and prevent serious bleeding. If you don’t want your baby to receive an injection, vitamin K can be given by mouth. If the vitamin K is given by mouth, your baby will need two more doses within the first six weeks of life.

An antibiotic ointment used to prevent your baby from getting an infection. This infection is caused when certain bacteria from your vagina get into their eyes during delivery. Left untreated, some infections can cause blindness.

A laboratory technician will take a small blood sample from your baby’s heel. You are encouraged to hold and/or breastfeed your baby during the blood test to help comfort them. This test is usually done when the baby is at least 24 hours old. 

Learn more about Newborn Spot Blood screening at Perinatal Services BC

We do this test at the same time as the Newborn Blood Spot (NBS). If your baby has too much bilirubin, they might develop jaundice. Your baby might need more than one bilirubin test during their stay.

Learn more about newborn jaundice at the Canadian Pediatric Society

Sometimes a baby’s heart or major blood vessels do not form correctly before birth. This kind of heart defect is called Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD). A baby with CCHD may not get enough oxygen in their blood.

When your baby is 24 hours old, we do a quick, simple, painless test to measure how much oxygen is in a newborn’s blood. Your nurse will attach a small, soft sensor on baby’s right hand and then on baby’s foot to measure how much oxygen is in baby’s blood. If your baby has low oxygen levels, we will conduct further tests to determine the cause.

Checking babies for Critical Congenital Heart Disease (multiple languages)

Most babies born at St. Paul’s Hospital have their hearing tested before they leave the hospital. Soft sounds are played into your baby's ears while a computer measures the response from your baby. This shows how well your baby's ears respond to sounds. The screening tests are safe and will not hurt your baby.

If your baby isn’t screened in the hospital, a local screening clinic will reach out to you in the first few weeks at home. They will set up a screening appointment at that time.

For more information, visit the BC Early Hearing Program

We provide meals for all patients. Our food service team will deliver a continental breakfast and a soup/sandwich style lunch. We serve dinner from our standard menu with hot entrée options. Before dinner service, a member of our food service team will visit you to take your food order. Please let us know if you have special dietary needs.

We have a nutrition area where we keep juices, milk, sandwiches, and bread for pregnant people and new parents. This area also has a toaster, microwave and kettle for families to use.

Visitors and support people are welcome to bring food. There is a refrigerator for patient food storage. Be sure to label any food you put in the refrigerator and take it home with you when you leave.

The hospital cafeteria is on the 4th floor. We also have vending machines just outside the cafeteria. The cafeteria offers meal service:

• Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm
• Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm

There are several restaurants in the neighbourhood that offer takeout food and some offer delivery service to the hospital. Please ask for the menu binder at the nursing station.

There is a television in each room. We offer educational programs on channel 61. Here, you can watch useful programs related to postpartum health and infant feeding. These are free of charge. There is a charge for cable TV. A TV attendant comes around each afternoon to set it up. They accept cash or credit card.

Mobile phones may be used in your room unless we specifically ask you not to. Please do not use your mobile phone in the hallways as it might disturb others. In other areas of the hospital, please check posted signs to see if mobile phone use is okay. Free wifi is available for all patients.

Family and friends are asked to clean their hands before and after they arrive and when they leave. Hand sanitizing stations are available at the entrance to the Pregnancy, Birthing and Newborn Centre and in the hallways. We ask everyone – all staff, volunteers, visitors and patients – to clean their hands:

• Before eating
• Before feeding your baby
• Before picking up your baby
• After using the toilet
• After changing your baby’s diaper

To ensure the safety of you and your baby, the door to the Pregnancy, Birthing and Newborn Centre is locked. You, your support person or any visitors can simply call our nursing station using the button outside the unit entrance, and we will let you in.

When you are admitted to the Pregnancy, Birthing and Newborn Centre, we give an identification bracelet to you and your partner or support person. Please wear the bracelet the whole time you are in hospital.

After your baby is born, we put identification bands on the baby’s wrist and ankle that have your last name. We put matching bracelets on both you and your partner/support person. We use your last name to identify the baby and support person in the hospital.

Everyone should keep these bracelets on until you leave the hospital. We check the bracelets before you go home to make sure they all match.

The safety and security of your baby is a major concern for all of us. You are the best security your baby has. To help keep your baby safe and secure in the hospital, here are some things you can do:

• NEVER leave your baby alone in your room. Never leave your baby lying alone on your bed.
• Always arrange to have someone watch your baby if you cannot.
• When you want to have a shower and no one is there to watch your baby, close your room door. Leave the bathroom door open and put your baby in the bassinet. Pull the bassinet into the bathroom doorway or right into the bathroom.
• When you walk in the hallways, push your baby in the bassinet.
• Do NOT let anyone take your baby away from your room. If your baby needs a test or procedure, it should be done in your room. If the test needs to be done somewhere else in the hospital, you or your support person should go with your baby.
• Everyone working in the Pregnancy, Birthing and Newborn Centre and for Providence Health Care is required to wear a picture identification badge. You can ask to see it. If you have any concerns about anyone, ring for your nurse right away.
• If the fire bell goes off at any time, return to your room and wait for the staff to tell you what to do.

• We are a scent-free zone. This applies to parents, babies, visitors and staff.
• We are a latex-free unit. We ask that you do not bring latex balloons due to severe airway allergies. Mylar balloons ARE permitted.