Pregnancy, Birth and Baby home

Your baby and the first few weeks

DISCLAIMER: Please note the Department of Human Services is now called Services Australia (Opens in new tab). They offer information about child care and child support.

Key facts

  • Bringing your baby home is exciting but can also be overwhelming.
  • There are a range of services available to help you in the early days and weeks at home.
  • After your baby is born, you will need to fill in some paperwork and take your baby for health checks.
  • Your baby should have regular health checks during their first few months by a child health nurse or by your doctor.
  • Your baby's growth, vaccinations and other important health information can be recorded in their infant health record.
Having a new baby at home is exciting. You may not always know what to do next, especially if you are a new parent. This can make the first few weeks challenging. Remember, there is always someone to help. This article has information about health checks for your baby, support services, and government paperwork you need to do.

What will I need to do after bringing my newborn home?

Bringing your baby home from the hospital (Opens in new tab) or birthing centre (Opens in new tab) is an exciting time.

During this time, you can get to know your baby and their needs. You can learn to:

In the first weeks with a new baby, there are also some practical tasks to think about. These include organising paperwork and health checks for your baby.

What forms will I have to fill out?

Having a baby can mean a lot of paperwork. There are different forms you need to fill out.

Your hospital or midwife will give you a Parent Pack (Opens in new tab). This pack contains the birth registration form and the Newborn Child Declaration form. 

Health services and support are available to families who have migrated to Australia (Opens in new tab), have arrived in Australia as refugees, or who are on a visa. You can also call the Translating and Interpreting Service (Opens in new tab) (TIS) on 131 450.

Newborn Child Declaration

The first form you will typically complete is the Newborn Child Declaration form. This allows you to register your child with:

Before you leave the hospital, your doctor or midwife must sign the Newborn Child Declaration form. If you have had a home birth, your midwife will sign and give you the Newborn Child Declaration form.

You should register your baby with Medicare as soon as you can. This way, you can apply for Parental Leave Pay (Opens in new tab) or other government payments (Opens in new tab), if you are eligible.

If you need help with Medicare (Opens in new tab) services, call the Medicare program line (Opens in new tab) on 132 011. You can access an interpreter for free.

Register your baby

You will first need to register your baby's birth and name (Opens in new tab). This needs to be done within 60 days of their birth. In most states or territories, you can do this for free online. 

Once your baby is registered, you can apply for a birth certificate for a fee.
Visit MyGov for simple instructions on how to register your baby's birth (Opens in new tab) in your state and territory.

What health checks should my baby have?

Each state and territory has a child health nurse service. Child health nurse services are usually free for families with children up to the age at which they start school.

Your baby should have regular health checks (Opens in new tab) during their first few months with your local child health centre nurse or by your doctor. 

The hospital will usually notify your local child health service about your baby for you. It’s a good idea to check with your midwife or doctor how to book or confirm your first appointment.

Usually, your baby will be checked at:

If your baby was premature (Opens in new tab) or has some health concerns, your doctor may recommend more frequent checks.

The first visit with a child health nurse is usually at your home.

These appointments are great opportunities to discuss your child's health and development. You are welcome to ask questions and share any concerns or worries. It's a good idea to write down any questions before the check-ups to remind you.

What is an infant health record?

You will be given an infant health record or child health record for your baby when they are born. In this book you can record important information about your baby, including:

  • their growth
  • their vaccinations
  • health issues

Depending on which state or territory you live in, your book might be:

  • blue
  • purple
  • red
  • green
  • yellow 

The infant health record is different from My Health Record.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

What should I do if my baby is unwell?

Warning:

If your baby is younger than 3 months old and has a fever above 38°C, take them to the nearest hospital emergency department immediately, or call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.

If your baby is unwell, you may feel anxious and unsure what to do.

Remember, you know your baby best.

If you are concerned, you should take your baby to be checked by your doctor. If you feel they need to be seen urgently, take them to your local emergency department.

You should call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance or take your baby to the nearest hospital emergency department if they:

  • are having a seizure
  • are breathing rapidly, noisily or have difficulty breathing
  • have a fever and are floppy or weak
  • have a fever and with pale skin or a purple rash (Opens in new tab)
  • have vomited blood or green fluid
Warning:

If your baby is finding it hard to breathe, take them to the nearest hospital emergency department or call triple zero (000) for an ambulance.

You should take your baby to see your doctor if there is blood in their poo. This can happen due to hormonal changes after birth.

If you're unsure whether your child's illness is serious, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 at any time to speak to a registered nurse (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria).

For more information and advice:

How might I feel in the first few weeks?

Warning:

If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for immediate support.

It's common to feel different emotions after giving birth. Having a baby is a big change — give yourself time to adjust.

You may feel:

  • happy 
  • joyful 
  • excited

You may also feel:

  • teary and sensitive
  • overwhelmed
  • anxious

This is known as the ‘baby blues'. It can happen because of sudden changes in your hormone levels after giving birth.

Usually, these feelings go away on their own after a few days.

If these emotions last longer than a few days, they might be a sign of postnatal depression.

Talk with your midwife, doctor or child health nurse about how you are feeling. They can help you to get the support you need. Getting support early can help you recover quickly and stop negative feelings from getting worse. This is best for your wellbeing and your baby’s wellbeing.

You can read more about:

It can take time for you and your partner, if you have one, to adjust to being a parent. It’s normal to have lots of questions about your baby and parenthood. Remember, you are not alone.

You can try talking to family and friends, or other parents in your community. Your child health nurse can help you find a parents group in your area. If you need help, there are support services available. Your doctor can help you find the support you need. 

What support is available if the first few weeks with a newborn?

There are different services that can help you over the first few weeks.

Home visits

After having a baby, home services may be available to help you and your baby at home. These are in addition to health checks from a child health nurse.

The type of service may change depending on:

A midwife will usually visit you during the first week. They may visit as soon as 24 hours after your baby is born. You can arrange this by speaking to your midwife before leaving the hospital.

Your midwife can check:

How often a midwife visits depends on your needs and your baby's needs. If you receive care from a Midwifery Group Practice, they may visit you for up to 6 weeks after birth.

If your baby is sick or premature, you may be able to receive extra support at home from a nurse. Depending on your baby’s needs, they may visit you each day. You can ask your doctor or midwife if this service is available for you.

Parent helplines

Each state or territory has parent helplines you can call for parenting and wellbeing support.

This can include:

  • providing advice on feeding your baby 
  • helping you to settle your baby 
  • help with understanding your baby’s cues 
  • linking you with more support 

Telephone services

Your state or territory has parent helplines you can call:

Australian Capital Territory

Parentline ACT (Opens in new tab) - (02) 6287 3833

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 272 736

New South Wales

Parent Line NSW (Opens in new tab) - 1300 1300 52

Karitane Careline (Opens in new tab) - 1300 227 464

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 272 736

Northern Territory

Parentline Queensland and Northern Territory (Opens in new tab) - 1300 30 1300

FACES (Families and Children Enquiry & Support) NT (Opens in new tab) - 1800 999 900

Queensland

Parentline Queensland and Northern Territory (Opens in new tab) - 1300 30 1300

13 HEALTH (Opens in new tab) - 13 43 25 84

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 272 736

South Australia

Parent Helpline South Australia (Opens in new tab) - 1300 364 100

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 272 736


Tasmania

Parent Line Tasmania (Opens in new tab) - 1300 808 178

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 827 282


Victoria

Parentline Victoria (Opens in new tab) - 13 22 89

Council of Single Mothers and their Children (Opens in new tab) - 03 9654 0622 or 1300 552 511

Maternal and Child Health Line (Opens in new tab) - 13 22 29

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 272 736


Western Australia

Ngala Parenting Line (Opens in new tab) - (08) 9368 9368

Tresillian Parent's Help Line (Opens in new tab) - 1300 272 736

Breastfeeding advice

Qualified breastfeeding counsellors at the Australian Breastfeeding Association (Opens in new tab) offer information and support about feeding your baby. Call 1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 268).

Local child health clinic

Your local child health clinic can provide support. Some child health clinics also run groups for new parents, including groups in languages other than English.

Each state and territory has its own maternal child health programs and services. Ask your child health nurse what is available in your area.

Resources and support

There are many sources of information and support for parents with a new baby.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby provides information and support. You can talk with a maternal child health nurse (Opens in new tab) by phone on 1800 882 436 or via video call (Opens in new tab).

The Royal Women's Hospital has information about:

If you are having trouble breastfeeding, you can speak with a qualified breastfeeding counsellor on the Australian Breastfeeding Association (Opens in new tab) National Breastfeeding Helpline. Call 1800 686 268.

If you need support for your mental health and wellbeing, there are services available. 

The ACCC Product Safety (Opens in new tab) website has information to help you keep your baby safe. This includes practical tips for buying and using baby products.

You can visit the Services Australia (Opens in new tab) website for information on Child Care (Opens in new tab) and Child Support (Opens in new tab) payments.

Languages other than English

The Australian Breastfeeding Association offers various pamphlets regarding breastfeeding in many languages (Opens in new tab).

The Royal Women’s hospital also has fact sheets available in many languages (Opens in new tab). The early interaction with your baby at home factsheet is available in Arabic (Opens in new tab), Chinese (Opens in new tab) and Vietnamese (Opens in new tab). 

Visit the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Services (Opens in new tab) website for information in various languages (Opens in new tab), on topics such as:

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

The PANDA website has support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parents (Opens in new tab).

You can read Parenting South Australia (Opens in new tab) fact sheets, including:

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 (Opens in new tab) or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Last reviewed: May 2026

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