King Edward Memorial Hospital

If you are living in or visiting Western Australia and your baby arrives earlier than 32 weeks gestation*, you will almost certainly find yourself in King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH), fondly known as King Eddie’s.

KEMH, located in the inner west suburb of Subiaco, is (as far as I know) the state’s only public maternity and gynaecological hospital, and WA’s only major referral centre for high-risk pregnancies. It has the only level 3 nursery (NICU) in the state, and as a result it is one of the biggest special care nurseries in the southern hemisphere with 80 cots. (Larger cities like Sydney or Melbourne have more than one hospital with a level 3 nursery.) KEMH’s nursery is due to be expanded in the near future to cope with the growing number of premature babies being born in Perth as the population increases.

KEMH is also home to the PREM milk bank where mothers can donate breast milk for use by babies in the nursery whose mothers are unable to produce enough breast milk themselves. This is a fantastic service which helped my daughter at a time when my supply had not increased to keep up with her demand.

Mothers who normally live in rural WA may be able to stay at Agnes Walsh House, the old nurses quarters, while their babies are in the nursery. It’s not glamorous but at least you are close to your baby.

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*If you are at least 32 weeks pregnant, you may be able to have your premature baby in the maternity hospital where you planned to give birth. Some of the larger hospitals such as St John of God Subiaco have Special Care (Level 2) Nurseries. If you gave birth at KEMH you may also be able to transfer out to a hospital closer to home once your baby is able to breathe unassisted (ie is off CPAP).

If your baby is born prematurely outside KEMH and then develops complications - for example if they need CPAP - then they are likely to be transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) who have a special neonates ward with 25 cots. Babies born at KEMH may also be transferred to PMH if they need surgery or for other medical reasons.