The maternal and child health service is free and supports your child's health and development from birth until school age. After your baby’s birth, the hospital will complete a birth notification form and notify Council. One of our maternal and child health nurses will contact you to offer you a home visit.
To make an appointment, call us on (03) 5422 0281. Our booking line is open Monday to Friday 9am–4pm or email mchadmin@mrsc.vic.gov.au
Remember that the 24-hour Maternal & Child Health Line operates every day and you can call them on 13 22 29.
Appointments during extreme weather events
For the safety of our community and staff on days of severe fire danger risk or in an extreme weather event, appointments in centres may be cancelled or conducted via Telehealth, with priority given to children under eight weeks of age.
There are 10 free 'Key Ages and Stages' visits with a qualified maternal and child health nurse from birth to kindergarten age
Home Visit
This is the first visit where our nurse will come to your home to meet you and your new baby.
In this home visit the nurse will discuss:
- safe sleeping
- home safety
- immunisation
- breastfeeding
- family wellbeing
- play and learning.
All subsequent visits are at our Maternal and Child Health centres.
2 weeks
- Growth
- Learning
- Development
- Car safety
- Breastfeeding and feeding
- Hearing review
- Birth registration
4 weeks
- Safe sleeping
- Breastfeeding
- Maternal health and wellbeing
- Where to find parent information
- Play
- Immunisation
8 weeks
- Safety
- Breastfeeding and feeding
- Hearing review
- Link to new parent group
- Family relationships
- Play and learning
4 months
- Parent's evaluation of status (PED's)
- Link to Playgroups
- Immunisation
- Reading and books
- Food in first year
8 months
- PED's
- Poisons information
- Preventing injuries
- Oral health
- Immunisations
- Play
- Learning and development
12 months
- PED's
- Healthy family
- Foods
- Sun smart
- Oral health
- Immunisations
- Talk
- Sing and play
- Family wellbeing
18months
- PED's
- Preventing injury
- Playgroup
- Immunisation
- How play helps
- Learning and development
- Oral health
2 years
- PEDs growth
- Development
- Nutrition and feeding
- Parenting support
- Safety
- Kindergarten information
- Talk, sing and dance
3.5 to 4 years
- PED's growth
- Development
- Nutrition and feeding
- Play safety
- Oral health
- Vision screening
- Kindergarten information
- Immunisations
Information of your visit is recorded in your child’s Green Health and Development Record.
Our maternal and child health centres are located in Gisborne, Kyneton, Riddells Creek, Romsey and Woodend.
If you need to speak to a nurse, see centre locations and hours for contact information. Call and leave a message and the nurse will return your call as soon as possible.
Help outside of business hours
If you need help outside working hours, contact the Victorian Maternal & Child 24hr Health Line on 13 22 29. This number is staffed by maternal and child health nurses for families and children aged from birth to six years. It is run by the Victorian Government and is the cost of a local call throughout Victoria.
My Baby Now App
The My Baby Now app offers you trustworthy and up-to-date information about feeding and active play with your baby. It was developed by experts in child nutrition and active play at Deakin University and the University of Sydney, and with input from parents and Maternal and Child Health Nurses. My Baby Now also complements the information provided in the MCH app.
My Baby Now App
MCH App
The MCH app covers broader topics around development, while the My Baby Now app provides a more detailed focus on feeding and active play. Both are trusted sources of information for you.
The Maternal and Child Health app has been created by the Victorian Government to assist parents of key ages and stages, appointments and development stages.
The free app provides can be used every day for trusted information on child and maternal health. Time-saving features include information on popular child health and development topics, click-to-call emergency contacts, prompts for upcoming maternal and child health consultations and regular updates and messages.
MCH App