Your child’s medical history is important to have on hand as CDH can pose ongoing challenges or complications, even to what seems like normal or routine diseases and treatments. Keeping an accurate medical history record for your child is therefore very important to ensure your child gets appropriate care.

The beginning of your medical history records is your baby’s discharge summary, which you are given when you are discharged from the hospital, whether from the NICU or a ward. The discharge summary is important as it will let any doctor, nurse or allied health professional know what happened to your baby during their stay in hospital. A copy of the discharge summary may also be sent to your GP and it’s recommended that you bring a photocopy to your child health nurse on your fi rst visit, so they too know what occurred in hospital. It’s recommended that you take a copy of your child’s medical history with you when you see a health professional who is not familiar with your child’s background.

It is also possible to obtain a copy of your child’s hospital records through Freedom of Information (FOI). Most hospitals will have a form you can complete to send to their records department. Call your hospital or search on their website for FOI details. You are also able to obtain your child’s hospital records if your child did not survive. This information can help you process all that’s happened and can be another way to remember the short time you had with your baby.

Be aware that there may be a cost for photocopies of records as well as copies of x-rays. Depending on the length of stay your child had in the hospital the cost can be substantial.