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Medical Disclaimer
How to use the information on this website safely — and when you should always see a doctor instead.
Last reviewed
Take-home message
General information, not medical advice
Everything on this website is general information for parents. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for seeing a qualified healthcare provider who knows your baby.
If something doesn’t feel right about your baby, trust your instincts. Speak with your GP, paediatrician, midwife, or Maternal & Child Health nurse, or call the MCH Line on 13 22 29, Nurse-On-Call on 1300 60 60 24, or healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (all 24/7). For poisoning or medicine errors, the Poisons Information Centre is 13 11 26. In an emergency, call 000.
If it’s an emergency: call 000
Signs your baby needs emergency help
Call 000 immediately if your baby is:
- Not breathing, or breathing very fast, very slow or noisy
- Blue, grey, or very pale
- Floppy, unresponsive, or very hard to wake
- Having a seizure (fit) or unusual jerking movements
- Unable to feed or keep anything down for several hours
- Under 3 months old with a fever of 38°C or higher (go straight to an emergency department)
- Covered by a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it
Do not rely on this website, or any website, in an emergency. Call 000.
In hospital? Tell your midwife or nurse immediately.
What this website is, and isn’t
We publish this website to help families learn about newborn and paediatric care. Every guide is written from reliable sources (listed at the top of each guide), prepared with AI assistance, and reviewed by Dr Jubal John. The information is general, it is not tailored to your baby, and medical knowledge changes, so we date every guide.
This website cannot:
- Diagnose your baby: that needs a face-to-face examination, a full history and sometimes tests
- Give personal medical advice: including medication doses, whether a symptom is safe to watch at home, or whether your baby needs a test or referral
- Replace your doctor, paediatrician or MCH nurse: it’s a starting point, not a substitute
- Create a doctor–patient relationship: that begins with a referral and appointment, not with reading a page
- Handle emergencies: call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department
Safe advice for one baby can be wrong for another. Those decisions belong with a clinician who has examined your baby.
Accuracy
We take care to publish accurate, current information, but we make no warranty about the completeness, accuracy or reliability of website content, and we are not liable for loss arising from reliance on it. This does not limit any consumer guarantee that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. If you spot something out of date, please email admin@neopaeds.au so we can fix it.
We link to trusted external resources (RCH, HealthDirect, Raising Children Network and others); we don’t control those sites or their content.
AI-assisted content
Some of the information and interactive tools on this website were prepared with the help of AI tools, always with human review by Dr Jubal John. We also use AI-assisted tools in parts of our day-to-day work.
AI can be wrong — sometimes confidently so. Please don’t rely on anything here blindly: treat it as general information to talk through with a qualified health professional who knows your baby, not as personal medical advice. If something looks inaccurate or out of date, email admin@neopaeds.au and we’ll review it.
Billing and Medicare information
All dollar figures on this site are indicative only. Fees, Medicare rebates, safety-net thresholds and out-of-pocket costs vary and change periodically; your invoice reflects the care actually provided, billed under the relevant MBS items. For the current authoritative figures, check Services Australia — Medicare and MBS Online, or contact the rooms — especially if your family is not Medicare-eligible or is without private health cover.
Copyright
All content is © NeoPaeds Melbourne unless otherwise noted. You’re welcome to share a link to any page; reproducing content requires written permission from admin@neopaeds.au. Third-party material credited in each guide belongs to the original publisher.
Questions?
Please don’t guess, ask a qualified health professional. For NeoPaeds Melbourne bookings or general enquiries, we’re happy to help.
Email: admin@neopaeds.au · Phone: (03) 9007 2099