Congratulations on the birth of your baby or babies
‘Congratulations’ is not a word that neonatal parents get to hear very often, as people and even our loved ones often don’t know what to say. You have just become parents either for the first time, or again, and although right now you might be feeling a whole host of emotions, know that you are not alone.
The majority of us will never have heard of this quite alien feeling environment as it is still not mentioned widely in antenatal education, but then many parents experiencing early birth, wouldn’t have got to these appointments anyway.
You may or may not have expected to have arrived in neonatal with you baby. They may have come early, or they may have been poorly when born full-term, whatever your situation, nothing can prepare you for this environment, and its ok not to be ok. The staff are there for you too and will teach you how you can look after your baby, when you feel ready.
You have likely been through some degree of trauma and it is important to recognise this. Staff can signpost you to someone to talk to, and they want you to feel you can ask them any questions and work with them in any way that you’d like to.
The amount of information you are being given can be very overwhelming. This page is designed to be simple but provide you with the information us parents felt we needed when we were in neonatal. It is written by parents, for parents.
What is neonatal care?
Neonatal care is the type of care a baby born premature or sick receives in a neonatal unit. These units are a part of hospitals which provide care for babies. The main reasons for a baby to be admitted is because they:
- were born prematurely
- have a low birth weight
- have a specific medical condition which needs treatment in hospital
Sometimes, the cause of premature birth or a medical condition will not be known, and you will not know exactly why this has happened to you.
It may be that you feel anxious about why your baby has been born prematurely or sick, or about the treatment they are receiving. The team of health professionals can give you more information about your baby’s condition and the needs they have.
Find out more about your neonatal unit, on our Unit information page.
Transferring you and your baby
You may have arrived at hospital not expecting to give birth, and your local unit may not have the medical provision to properly care for your baby’s unique needs. In this instance your healthcare professionals may talk to you about transferring you to another hospital, usually by ambulance, as soon as possible. This is called an (in utero) transfer. You can find out more information here.
An in utero transfer may not be possible if:
- it has not been possible to arrange an in utero transfer safely
- your baby needs to be born as soon as possible
- you need immediate medical attention, for example if you have severe pre-eclampsia.
If you need urgent medical attention, the team may transfer your baby after they are born so they have access to the care they need.
The parent group and network team have been working hard on making this process better for parents. Please see this animation coproduced by Vcreate and our Parent Group (PAG)
We are also currently in the process of trialling a new role in some of our units, where a link nurse will reach out to parents very early on to introduce herself and the concept of them getting you back to a unit closer to home as soon as your baby is ready. Please reach out to us if you would like any further information.
What to expect on a neonatal unit
When you first arrive on a neonatal unit it can be very scary and overwhelming. If you are able to have a tour of your neonatal unit before your baby arrives, you may find it helpful. Some parents who have experienced neonatal care have said that seeing the environment beforehand would have been helpful to them.
Here are a selection of videos explaining what is like when entering the neonatal unit. There are many reasons why the environment is the way it is, dark and quiet, with many alarms and lots of beeping of machines.
An introduction to a neonatal unit
Being a parent on a neonatal unit is nothing anyone could have imagined prior to actually arriving here. If your baby was born prematurely or sick, they may have been taken away from you soon after birth.
Arriving in the neonatal unit and watching the staff care for your baby can make many parents feel like they aren’t doing what parents should do for their baby. Some parents feel helpless and worried.
Health professionals understand that it is really important to support families to parent their baby when they are on the unit. They also know that it is really important that you always know what is happening with your baby, and that you have the information you need.
Your baby will be weighed in grams, please use the conversion chart below to convert this to pounds and ounces:
Neonatal unit staff are there for you always and happy to answer any questions you may have or explain anything that you are unsure about.
- Understanding the equipment on the neonatal unit – Bliss
- Neonatal staff and what they do – Bliss
- Words you might hear used around your baby – Bliss
Family Integrated Care
Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model of neonatal care which promotes a culture of partnership between families and staff.
The FICare model enables and empowers parents to become confident, knowledgeable and independent primary caregivers.
FICare ensures that parents, baby and wider family members can be a family as soon as possible; creating space for necessary medical care whilst facilitating the nurturing bond and love that only they can provide for their baby.
Going home from the neonatal unit
The idea of taking your baby home can be both exciting and daunting. We have some links to different considerations from practical to the emotional side of no longer having the healthcare professionals around you whilst caring for your baby or babies at home.
SW animation – Preparing to take your baby home on Vimeo
Share your neonatal story
If you would like to share your neonatal story with us please visit our Parent Advisory Group pages to find out more:
Thames Valley and Wessex Parent Advisory Group
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Parent Advisory Group