On this page there are some useful resources for parents. You can explore these by expanding the sections below:
Find out more about follow-up appointments and adjusting to life with your premature or sick baby after leaving the neonatal unit.
Bliss – when you get home
When you go home from the neonatal unit with your premature or sick baby, it is common to feel different emotions.
Bliss – how you might feel when you go home
This leaflet provides interim information while we await the publication of nationally produced guidance. It is intended to offer temporary support until the national materials become available.
Coming Soon!
This is an information leaflet designed for parents and carers of those infants who are eligible to start breast milk fortifier. It includes a brief introduction on what breast milk fortifier (BMF) is, why it’s important as well as an indication on when it is given. There is also some information on the evidence behind it and FAQ’s.
Communicating with the neonatal staff team
When your baby is admitted to the Neonatal Unit your permission, known as consent, is a vital part of their care. Consent means agreeing to the care and treatment your baby receives, and it helps ensure that you remain fully involved in decisions about their health and wellbeing.
There are different types of consent depending on the situation, ranging from everyday care to more complex procedures. The parent leaflet below gives further details on the types of consent.
For information on what cues (signs) to look for when feeding your baby click on the link below.
Download feeding cues information sheet
Peeps are a charity who offer support for parents, families and friends of those who have experienced an HIE event (Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy)
Visit the Peeps website
For information on the consideration of light on the neonatal unit click on the link below.
Download the ‘Light on the neonatal unit’ information sheet
For information on the consideration of sound on the neonatal unit click on the link below.
Download the ‘Sound on the neonatal unit’ information sheet
In the Neonatal units, we measure a baby’s weight in grams. Use the chart on the link below to convert your baby’s weight to pounds and ounces.
View weight conversion chart.
View the non-nutritive sucking information leaflet for parents here.
The TVW Neonatal ODN have written a parent information leaflet to provide more information on Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) in premature babies which can be viewed here:
Thames Valley and Wessex – Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) in premature babies parent leaflet
These posters show good ways to help position babies in the neonatal unit.
How a baby is positioned is very important for their care. The right position helps babies feel comfortable, stay calm, and grow well. Babies are usually placed with their arms and legs gently tucked in and supported, a bit like how they were curled up in the womb. This helps their bodies and brains develop in a healthy way.
Every baby is different, so sometimes their position will need to be changed to suit their age, health, and what they can manage. The posters give examples, but the healthcare team will always make sure each baby’s position is right for them.
- Positioning your baby on their back
- Positioning your baby on their front
- Positioning your baby on their side
With thanks to the London Neonatal ODN, Ross Worsley, Senior Paediatric Physiotherapist, Whittington Hospital NHS Trust and Maria Furtado, Joint Lead Physiotherapist, London Neonatal ODN
What to expect when your baby is born prematurely
If you are in the Dorset and Hampshire region, visit the Healthier Together website for more information.
From preterm birth to thriving baby – How NHS staff ensured the best start for little Luna
The TVW Neonatal ODN have written a parent information leaflet to provide more information on pulse oximetry screening which can be viewed here:
Thames Valley and Wessex – Pulse Oximetry Screening Parent Leaflet
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a condition which affects blood vessels (which carry blood around the body) in a part of the eye called the retina. The retina is at the back of the eye. It detects light and sends messages to the brain, which allows us to see.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists have created parent information to explain about ROP screening and treatment:
Nell and the Neonatal Unit is an app that is designed to help brothers and sisters understand the neonatal environment.
Download the free app from Google Play or the Apple Store (links below):
For information on having skin to skin with your baby and parent standing transfers click on the link below.
Download parent standing transfer information sheet
The Neonatal Networks have created tube feeding learning packs for parents and carers. To view these click on the link below for your region.
Kent Surrey and Sussex – Tube feeding your baby learning pack
Thames Valley and Wessex – Tube feeding your baby learning pack
With more than 90,000 premature and poorly babies receiving care in UK neonatal units each year, many families experience a difficult and unexpected journey which they may not have the words to explain. Together with VCreate, the TVW Parent Advisory Group and the Skye High Foundation, we’ve co-produced a video resource that allows neonatal parents to share their unique journeys with family, friends and employers. Many thanks to everyone involved.
Useful resources for friends, families and employers:
- Employer with heart: The Smallest Things
- Neonatal Care Statistics: Neonatal care statistics | Bliss
- Parent and family information: Parents & Families – Neonatal Network South East
- Parents’ mental health: Parents’ mental health | Bliss
Charities that support families on the neonatal journey:
- Skye High Foundation: UK Skye High
- Bliss: What we do | Bliss
- Tommy’s: Pregnancy information | Tommy’s
- Leo’s Neonatal: Leo’s | Caring for neonatal families