Day Assessment Unit
During your pregnancy you may be asked to attend the day assessment unit (DAU) for additional monitoring and assessment to ensure that all is well with you and your baby. Some women may attend the unit just once, while others may attend regularly during their pregnancy. Attendance at the unit helps to reduce the likelihood of admission to hospital, but sometimes this may still be necessary.
A visit to the unit often takes up to 4 hours. (Reduced rates for parking are available in the Parnell Centre Car Park, once your ticket is validated by security staff in the hospital and the ticket is presented to the car park office for payment.)
The assessment may include:
- discussion about your condition or any signs or symptoms you may have
- checking your blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respirations
- urine test
- blood tests
- CTG (tracing of the baby’s heart rate) or an ultrasound scan
- an antenatal check up
- review by a senior doctor and a discussion about your ongoing care and management
Due to the number of women attending the unit and because of space restrictions, we ask women to please attend the day assessment unit on their own. Children are not allowed in the unit. Tea, coffee and some light refreshments are available. For further information, or if you are unable to attend, please contact the unit by phoning 01 817 2524.
General Prenatal Ward
You may need to be admitted to the general prenatal ward following review in outpatients or in the assessment and emergency unit if a problem is detected that requires close observation and monitoring of you and your baby.