Family and Newborn Clinic

Our Family and Newborn (FAN) Clinic offers care to birthing parents and their newborns. This care includes:

Routine care for the first eight weeks after giving birth. This care is provided to birthing parents and their newborns when they do not have a primary care provider (e.g. family doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife or paediatrician) or when their primary care provider is not available.
Care for semi-urgent concerns (e.g. wound infection, blood pressure follow-up, birthing parent and newborn assessments) in the first eight weeks after giving birth.

The clinic is staffed by registered midwives. It connects patients to timely consultations with obstetricians, paediatricians and mental health specialists, as needed.

Birthing parents and their newborns receiving routine care at the clinic have appointments at regular intervals after the parent gives birth. Appointments are booked based on the needs of patients, but usually follow this frequency:

First week after birth: One to three appointments
Every one to two weeks thereafter: This will continue until the birthing parent is eight weeks postpartum or until the birthing parent and their newborn are connected to a primary care provider (e.g. family doctor, nurse practitioner or paediatrician) – whichever comes first.

How to access the clinic

The FAN Clinic is open seven days a week. It sees patients who are referred to the clinic by appointment. Same-day or next-day appointments may be available.

Referrals can be made for patients who gave birth at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) with the support of any provider or outside the hospital with the support of midwives who are credentialed at the hospital.

Self-referrals

Please call or email the FAN Clinic using the contact information on this webpage if you meet the following eligibility. Our team may ask you questions to confirm your eligibility.

You gave birth less than eight weeks ago;
You gave birth at MGH with the support of any provider; and
You and your newborn do not have a primary care provider (e.g. family doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife or paediatrician) OR your primary care provider is not available.

If you think you are eligible to receive care for a semi-urgent concern, please call our team for a quick response.

Referrals from primary care

For routine care: An obstetrician, family practice physician, paediatrician or emergency physician who is credentialed at MGH can refer their patient for routine care at the FAN Clinic if the patient does not have a primary care provider. To refer a patient, please complete the referral form linked on this webpage and email it to @email. If you are referring both the birthing parent and newborn please submit a form for both patients. In your email, please include supporting documents as indicated in the referral form.
For semi-urgent concerns (e.g. wound infection or blood pressure follow-up, birthing parent or newborn assessment): A family doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife should assess their patient to determine if they need to be triaged in a hospital emergency department or through the FAN Clinic. Please review our referral guide for healthcare providers and the referral form linked on this webpage to confirm if your patient meets the eligibility criteria.
If your patient is eligible, please complete the referral form linked on this webpage and email it to @email. In your email, please include supporting documents as indicated in the referral form.

Before your appointment

Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment to register at Patient Registration on M1. Bring your health card if you have one, as well as your baby’s temporary health card if your baby will be seen during the appointment. After registering, you will be directed to the waiting area for the FAN Clinic.

If you would like to reschedule or cancel your appointment, please call 416-461-8272 ext. 6690.

Early Discharge Program

In the Early Discharge Program, eligible low-risk patients are given the option of early discharge from MGH following their delivery. This allows these patients to recover in the comfort of their own homes. Eligible patients’ discharge would take place three to 12 hours after their baby is born.

As part of the program, a FAN Clinic midwife visits the patient’s home between 24 and 48 hours postpartum to perform routine screening tests and assessments for the birthing parent and their newborn. These appointments will be booked between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.

A patient’s care provider (e.g. obstetrician, family practice and/or paediatrician) determines their eligibility for the Early Discharge Program in the hours after birth based on very specific criteria.

As part of the Early Discharge Program, a home visit from a FAN Clinic midwife includes:

Birthing parent assessments
Newborn assessments
Newborn weight check
Newborn feeding assessment and/or breast/chest feeding support
Routine newborn tests, including bilirubin, Ontario Newborn Screen (also known as the Dried Blood Spot [DBS]), Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) screening and other newborn screening processed by Newborn Screening Ontario

Determining where to get care

When to contact the Family and Newborn (FAN) Clinic

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, please call your primary care provider (e.g. family doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife). If they cannot see you in a reasonable timeframe or if you do not have a primary care provider, please call the FAN Clinic using the contact information on this webpage.

Birthing parent:

Redness, irritation and/or fluid coming out of your caesarean incision or vaginal tear
Redness and localized heat/pain on the breast
Bleeding from the vagina that smells rotten
Persistence of baby blues that persists beyond one to two weeks after giving birth

Newborn:

Baby is not feeding at least eight times in 24 hours
Baby does not have enough wet/dirty diapers for their age in days of life OR is having fewer than six wet diapers/pees in 24 hours beyond six days of age
Baby’s skin looks more yellow than from birth or the white parts of their eyes are yellow, and they are not feeding well and/or have pale yellow, tan-coloured stools
Baby has NOT had a dirty/poo diaper for 48 hours

When to go to the Emergency Department

If you experience any of the following symptoms, please go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Birthing parent:

Severe headache, dizziness, blurred vision or worsening heartburn
Soaking an overnight pad with blood in LESS than one hour
Passing clots as big as a plum more than once
Severe stomach pain, leg pain or back pain
Feelings/desire to harm yourself or your baby

Newborn:

Call 9-1-1 if your baby has trouble breathing, stops breathing or is turning blue.

If there is a fever of 37.5°C or more by the armpit or 38°C by the rectum (do not use forehead or ear thermometers)
Baby will not stop crying, despite consoling
Baby has no energy, has a hard time waking for feeds or won’t stay awake during the feed
Baby is having forceful vomiting or green-coloured vomit
Baby has a red umbilical area (belly button), and the area has a foul smell or there is fluid coming from it
You feel like your baby is sick or just not right