Key age and stage visits

Maternal Child Health visits will start when you leave hospital after having your baby.

The Maternal Child Health team will contact you and arrange a home visit to meet you and your new baby.

At the home visit the Maternal Child Health Nurse will get to know you and your family.  They will gain an understanding of your pregnancy and delivery experience and will be able to support you to get to know your baby and what they need from you as a parent. The nurse will work with you to plan follow up visits that best suit your family’s needs and will be able to support you to adjust to your new parenting role.

Where possible you will see the same nurse for all your visits.

Developmental checks

After the initial home visit, all other developmental checks take place at one of our MCH centres.  When your child is approaching each age, please contact us to make an appointment.

Request an appointment

Please bring the green book with you to every MCH visit. 

A total of 10 free MCH appointments are recommended over a four year period at key ages and stages:

• Following discharge from hospital Home visit
• 2 weeks
• 4 weeks
• 8 weeks
• 4 months
• 8 months
• 12 months
• 18 months
• Two years
• Three and a half years

Click on each of the links above to find out more about each visit on the Victorian BetterHealth website, including:

• What happens at the visit
• What your baby is doing at each key age and stage
• What to tell your nurse
• Activity ideas for each key age and stage

Additional support

Our Enhanced Maternal and Child Health (EMCH) Service offers extra support for families in addition to the 10 key age and stage visits.