Neonatal Follow-up Clinic

This includes babies born before 30 weeks of pregnancy and those with specific conditions that might affect their development.

Our team includes a nurse practitioner, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, dietitian, neonatologist and developmental paediatrician.  

We support your child’s development by:  

• Checking on how you and your child are doing
• Assessing how your child is moving, playing, and communicating
• Offering recommendations to support your child’s growth and development.
• Referring you to other medical or therapy services in your community, as needed

For more information about premature babies or child development, please visit the following resources.

Canadian Premature Babies Foundation

Health Link BC: Toddler Growth and Development

What to expect

Your baby’s first clinic appointment date will be written in their NICU discharge summary.  

If your baby was born before 30 weeks of pregnancy or weighed less than 1,250 grams at birth, you will have a virtual check-in visit with our nurse practitioner between four and six weeks after your due date.  

The first in-person clinic visit is typically scheduled three and a half months after your due date.  

If you receive a questionnaire to fill out, please send the completed questionnaire to [email protected] before your visit.

At your clinic visit, you will meet with members of our team who will ask about your baby's medical history and about how your baby is developing. Our team will evaluate your baby's growth and development in the following areas:

• Neurological development
• Gross motor (large muscle) skills
• Fine motor (hand) skills
• Communication, language, and social skills
• Cognitive (thinking) skills such as playing and learning

We will also check for vision, hearing, or feeding issues.

Members of our team will then discuss your baby’s strengths with you, as well as any difficulties there may be with their development. We will provide recommendations to support your baby’s needs, which may include referrals to services such as:

• An infant development program
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech therapy

Following your first clinic appointment, we recommend follow-up appointments at 8, 12, 15, 22, and 36 months of age to track your baby's development over time. During these visits, we use your baby’s “corrected age” (the age they would be if they were born on their due date) until their third birthday.  

It is important to know that we do not provide primary medical care or therapy in our clinic, so your baby will still need a family doctor or paediatrician in your community.  

Please note that we are a teaching hospital, so you may see medical students, residents or other medical trainees as part of your care. Learners are supervised by other members of our dedicated care team who work together to provide you with comprehensive care.

What to bring

• Your child's health (OHIP) card or valid health care coverage
• Any reports you may have from therapists or physicians
• A list of any questions you want to ask
• If you have twins or multiples, one caregiver per child if possible

How to access our clinic

We accept referrals from health-care providers. Visit our referral criteria for more information.