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These videos from The Brazleton Centre Uk explain how your baby might experience care, like a nappy change, and how you can listen to what their cues are telling you.

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Listening to Your Baby's Voice- Baby Care Topics - Brazelton Centre UK

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In celebration of Baby Communication Awareness Week 2021, we have made a series of videos on different aspects of life with a newborn baby along with suggestions on how to appreciate your baby's experience of these activities, understand what they are communicating to you and supporting them through what you are doing together.

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An invitation to our new community play group for babies up to 1 year of age who have been nursed at St Richards SCU or Beeding ward.

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Safe Sleeping (advice for preterm and low birth weight babies)

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Safe Sleeping (advice for preterm and low birth weight babies)

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Premature and low birth weight babies are at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Learn about reducing the risk…

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Transfer Closer to Home: The neonatal repatriation of your baby

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Please find our emotional support leaflet here.

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University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Emotional Support - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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This information is about the emotional support that is there for you if you have a baby who needs special care in hospital.

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Information collected by staff on neonatal units is used to create the National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD). The information within the NNRD is called the Neonatal Data Set. This information is used to support research, surveys, quality improvement programmes and management reports aiming to improve newborn care and health outcomes. Please see the link above for more information about this and how to opt out if you would like to.

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Neonatal Medicine Research Group

NNRD Information for Parents

NNRD Information for Parents

NNRD Information for Parents

Watch "Neola", our in-house eNewborn AI avatar deliver the NNRD Information for Professionals in English With a global outlook, Neola has become an important part of our mission to communicate effectively with all our stakeholders and parents around the world.

Request Noela in your preferred language by emailing ndau@imperial.ac.uk.

Noela was created by Desmond Danso Sakyi, the Research Communications Lead at the Neonatal Medicine Research Group, under the stewardship of Professor Neena Modi.

Informații NNRD pentru părinți.

Informații NNRD pentru părinți.

Urmărește „Neola", avatarul nostru intern eNewborn AI care oferă informații NNRD pentru profesioniști în limba engleză Având o perspectivă globală, Neola a devenit o parte importantă a misiunii noastre de a comunica eficient cu toți părțile interesate și părinții noștri din întreaga lume. Solicitați Noela în limba preferată prin e-mail la ndau@imperial.ac.uk Noela a fost creată de Desmond Danso Sakyi, responsabilul de comunicare în cercetare la Grupul de cercetare în medicină neonatală, sub conducerea profesorului Neena Modi.

Informação NNRD para pais

Informação NNRD para pais

Veja "Neola", o nosso avatar interno de IA eNewborn fornecer informações NNRD para profissionais em português Com uma perspetiva global, a Neola tornou-se uma parte importante da nossa missão de comunicar eficazmente com todos os nossos stakeholders e pais em todo o mundo. Solicite Noela no seu idioma preferido por e-mail para ndau@imperial.ac.uk Noela foi criada por Desmond Danso Sakyi, Diretor de Comunicação de Investigação do Grupo de Investigação em Medicina Neonatal, liderado pela Professora Neena Modi.

NNRD Informacje dla rodziców w języku polskim

NNRD Informacje dla rodziców w języku polskim

Obejrzyj „Neola", nasz wewnętrzny awatar eNewborn AI, który dostarcza informacje NNRD dla profesjonalistów w języku polskim Z globalną perspektywą Neola stała się ważną częścią naszej misji skutecznej komunikacji ze wszystkimi naszymi interesariuszami i rodzicami na całym świecie.

Poproś o Noelę w preferowanym języku, wysyłając wiadomość e-mail na adres ndau@imperial.ac.uk

Noela została stworzona przez Desmonda Danso Sakyi, kierownika ds. komunikacji badawczej w Neonatal Medicine Research Group, pod kierownictwem profesor Neeny Modi.

NNRD Information for Professionals

NNRD Information for Professionals

NNRD Information for Professionals

Watch "Neola", our in-house eNewborn AI avatar deliver the NNRD Information for Professionals in English With a global outlook, Neola has become an important part of our mission to communicate effectively with all our stakeholders and parents around the world.

Request Noela in your preferred language by emailing ndau@imperial.ac.uk

Noela was created by Desmond Danso Sakyi, the Research Communications Lead at the Neonatal Medicine Research Group, under the stewardship of Professor Neena Modi.

The National Neonatal Research Database

Information collected by staff on neonatal units are used to create the National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD). The information within the NNRD is called the Neonatal Data Set. This information is used to support research, surveys, quality improvement programmes and management reports aiming to improve newborn care and health outcomes. Any use of this information for research requires approval from a National Research Ethics Committee. No details that might identify you or your baby would be revealed unless you have provided your explicit permission to do so. The NNRD is created and held at the Neonatal Data Analysis Unit at Imperial College London where research is also carried out. These include linkage studies with other sets of data such as hospital admission statistics (HES) and mortality data sourced from the public body NHS Digital. Data from 2007 onwards are held in the NNRD.

Please find links to the National Neonatal Research Database Information for Parents leaftlet, the NNRD Parent Poster and the NNRD Privacy Notice. These provide more information about the NNRD and the services and projects it supports.

Opting out of your baby's data being included in the NNRD
England only- National data opt-out
The national data opt-out is a service that allows patients to opt out of their information being used for research and planning.

Patients can view or change their national data opt-out choice at any time by using the online service at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or by clicking on "Your Health" in the NHS App, and selecting "Choose if data from your health records is shared for research and planning".

If this is done NHS Digital will inform Clevermed who will ensure the opt out data is not transferred to the National Neonatal Research Database.
England, Scotland, and Wales
A parent can either log a call or email to the data hosting company, Clevermed Limited, themselves or request a member of staff on the Neonatal Unit to do so on their behalf. This can be done by email info@clevermed.com or phone +44 (0)131 221 7700.

Clevermed will ensure data is not transferred to the National Neonatal Research Database.

Faculty of Medicine

General enquiries

Neonatal Medicine Research Group and Neonatal Data Analysis Unit Manager
(All research related queries)
Room G 4.3
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

ndau@imperial.ac.uk+44 (0)20 3315 5841

Research Communications Lead
(Communications related queries only)
dsakyi@imperial.ac.uk

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Information collected by staff on neonatal units are used to create the National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD). The information within the NNRD i...

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Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you're home

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Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you're home

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Having a preterm or sick baby cared for in a hospital can be an overwhelming experience, filled with uncertainties, fear, and stress. Returning home and caring for your baby without the support of the medical team you’ve become used to can also be a challenging transition. This online course has been designed to help you learn about your baby’s development, understand their needs and read their cues, but also to support your emotional wellbeing.

Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you’re home is for all parents, grandparents and carers of babies who have experienced neonatal care, now settling them in at home. It has been designed to help you develop a strong and connected relationship with your baby and includes both practical information about caring for your baby as well as information about their developmental needs and guidance for feeding, sleeping and crying.

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Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital- Videos and Course

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Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital- Videos and Course

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Having a preterm or sick baby cared for in a hospital can be an overwhelming experience, filled with uncertainties, fear, and stress. This online course has been designed to help you learn about your baby’s development, understand their needs and read their cues, but also to support your emotional wellbeing as parents or other relatives.

Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital is for all parents, grandparents and carers of babies experiencing neonatal care. It has been designed to help you develop a strong and connected relationship with your baby and includes both practical information about caring for your baby as well as information about their developmental needs and guidance for feeding, sleeping and crying.

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Information about expressing and breastfeeding.

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University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Download and print as a PDF (942kB pdf)

Dear Parents

Congratulations on your baby's arrival. At UHSussex we are committed to supporting breastfeeding, and recognise that this is particularly important for sick and premature babies.
We will assist you to hand express your milk before, during or after labour and use a breast pump if needed. Ideally we would like your baby to have their first feed within 2 hours of birth. It is perfectly normal to only get small amounts at first, and it may take a few days for your milk to come in. Any milk you can provide will be beneficial for your baby.

Whatever your long term feeding choice we do ask that while your baby is in the neonatal unit that you express your breast milk, as it is the only milk which helps to protect a premature baby's delicate gut from developing a serious condition that can
cause a baby to become very sick.

Your milk will be given as medicine with every dose providing antibodies and goodness to help your baby get better, stay well, and grow.

Babies learn to feed in their own time but practice makes perfect.

Colostrum

Your first milk is called colostrum.
Your body starts producing colostrum around 16 weeks of pregnancy so if your baby is born early you will have colostrum there. Please ask for our help in expressing it.

* Comes in small, viscous quantities, sometimes just a few drops.
* Helps to protect your baby from infections and build a strong immune system.
* Primes and coats your baby's stomach and intestines to help prevent germs from causing illness.
* Helps regulate the baby's blood glucose.
* Provides the perfect blend of nutrients for your baby's brain, eyes, and heart.
* It is complete nutrition that is easy for your baby's stomach to digest. Combining hand expressing and using the breast pump will give you the best chance of achieving a full milk supply.

Hand expressing is the best way to collect your colostrum but the breast pump can stimulate your breasts to produce more colostrum and bring in your milk. No amount is too small; each drop is beneficial to your baby's health.

Information:

Progressing to suck feeds

* Observe your baby for readiness to feed and feeding cues.
* Watch these videos demonstrating positioning your baby for breastfeeding.
* Learn how to give your baby milk by nasogastric tube while they are learning to feed responsively.
* Premature babies learn to feed first by 'non-nutritive' sucking on a dummy or on a recently expressed breast. Express before skin to skin cuddles and let then try from around 28 weeks gestation.

Babies learn to feed in their own time but practice makes perfect.

Hand expressing

Always wash your hands before collecting milk.

You can start collecting colostrum for your baby from 36 weeks gestation, once you have been induced or 48 hours before your birth is scheduled.

Watch the video on hand expressing to learn more.

Information:

Label your syringe with your name, plus the date and time that you expressed and give it to your nurse to be given directly to your baby.

Breast massage techniques

Gentle breast massage helps your milk to flow. Massage your breasts for a minute or so before expressing and then hand express a small amount of milk onto the nipple tip before applying the pump funnels. Massage should feel comfortable so remember to be gentle.

If your milk is slow try:

* Applying a warm compress, such as a flannel or towel to your breast.
* Stroking your breast with gentle feather-like movements.
* Massaging your breast with a hand action that rolls the knuckles downwards over the breast, beginning at the top of the breast and working towards the areola, gradually going over the whole breast.
* Stroking the area under the nipple and areola with flat hands in an upward movement.
* Asking your partner or a friend to massage your back before you express.

Electric breast pump

Using a hospital grade electric breast pump can fire up your milk making cells and maximises your long term milk production. Pump use is often started after hand expressing around day 1. However some women may wish to start earlier, soon after birth. Hand expressing is still the best way to collect colostrum in the first few days.

* Expressing both breasts at the same time helps maximise your milk production.
* Breast massage helps to stimulate your milk flow before pumping and ensures your breasts are fully drained at the end of pumping.
* Use the gentle and stimulating INITIATE or STIMULATION setting until your milks transitions or until day 6 after birth. This will run for 15 minutes and turn itself off on some pumps and others you need to time it.
* Once your colostrum transitions to breast milk (or day 6 after birth even if your milk has not transitioned), use the MAINTAIN setting to drain your breast effectively. Express until the flow of milk ceases plus 2 minutes or 15 to 20 minutes if there is no flow.

Comfort

Pumping should be comfortable. If you feel any discomfort check:

Your funnels are the correct size. Check our guide below.

The vacuum is not set too high. Increase the vacuum on the pump slowly until it starts to feel a bit uncomfortable and then reduce it by 2.

Your nipple is central to the funnel.

You do not remove the funnel while the pump is running.

Your bra is comfortable with no under-wires.

Information:

Milk flow and volumes

* Your colostrum will transition to milk from day 2 to 3 but can be delayed up to a week following difficult births.
* Once your colostrum transitions to milk it should start flowing within a couple of minutes of starting the pump.
* You will see an increase in volume day by day until you are expressing up to 750mls by 2 to 3 weeks.

If your milk is slow or your volumes are low:

Massage and hand expressing some milk onto the nipple tip before starting the pump.

Gently compress (squeeze) your breast while you express.

Expressing by the cot-side or looking at a photograph and/or smelling something with your baby's scent on it.

Regular skin to skin cuddles with baby.

Expressing immediately after close contact with your baby.

Cluster/power pumping, see below.

Watch hands on pumping video

Cluster pumping/power pumping

One hour option add one in every day
Pump 20 mins
Rest 10 mins
Pump 10 mins
Rest 10 mins
Pump 10 mins

Four hour option
Express for 15 minutes and then take a 30 minute break. Repeat for the full 4 hours. Do this for 3 consecutive days for best effect.

Expressing frequency and times

Expressing 8 to 10 times in 24 hours, including once in the night.

Expressions do not have to be done to a particular routine; rather they should fit in with your daily schedule. It is beneficial to 'surprise' the breasts by not always pumping at the same times each day. Leave no longer than 5 hours between expressions at night, and no longer than 4 hours in the day. If you do choose to have a 4 to 6 hour gap between expressions, you will then need to cluster your expressions to fit in the recommended daily amount. Expressing at night between 1am and 5am is hormonally very important for milk production.

Example routine:

Before you go to bed.

Once in the night between 1am and 5am.

As soon as you wake up.

After breakfast.

After skin to skin cuddles with baby.

After lunch.

After an afternoon nap.

After dinner.

While relaxing in the evening.
Keep a log of your expressing times and your 24 hour volumes to discuss with your midwife each day. We can help troubleshoot problems quickly.

Pumping log: at the end of the leaflet is a pumping log form for you to complete. Please print off the PDF version to obtain the form.

Thank you to Oxford University Hospitals and Ashford and St Peters Hospitals for sharing information for this leaflet.

Information:

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Milk as medicine - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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A guide on keeping your baby safe.

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Need-to-know: a guide to keeping your baby safe

Rough handling of babies can cause serious injuries. Handle with care: a guide to keeping your baby safe explains the dangers and gives advice on safe ways of holding and caring for a baby.

This simple guide explains why parents should never shake their baby and suggests ways they can soothe them when they cry. There are tips on how to cope when the crying doesn't stop or seems too much to handle.

The guide is also a valuable resource for services and professionals working with new parents or in antenatal care.

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Advice for parents on safe ways to hold and care for your baby and ways to cope when the crying doesn't stop.

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This leaflet is a good starting place for finding out more about neonatal care.

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These are resources and tools from Oxford that some of our families have found helpful.  There is no one right way to do things, each family's journey is different and different people find different things help.  Just take from it what works for you and leave and ignore if it doesn't make sense or you can't relate to it.

No pressure and please reach out to talk to someone if you need this. You deserve and need all the support when you have been through such an overwhelming experience as being on a SCU ward with your baby.

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It would mean a lot to us to hear your feedback, please complete our anonymous survey when you are close to discharge home.

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This survey should take up to 30 minutes to complete and is aimed at parents/carers whose baby/babies, have experienced neonatal care in one of our neonatal units across the Thames Valley & Wessex neonatal network.

The survey has been written with neonatal parents who have experienced neonatal care and understand some of the journey you have been on. Firstly, we'd like to say, congratulations on the birth of your baby/babies!

Gaining feedback from parents and families about their experiences is vital to ensure our neonatal services are meeting parents needs and ensuring changes are in line with what parents say is important to them. It ensures parent's voices remain at the heart of the network's neonatal improvement work, helping us to continue to improve the experiences of families in the future.

This survey aims to understand the experience of neonatal parents, with questions across the following areas:

Antenatal care

Postnatal care

The neonatal care of your baby/babies

The family support you may have received

When you were leaving hospital with your baby/babies

There is no obligation to answer any questions, so please answer only the questions that you feel able to and are applicable to your experience.

We recognise that some questions may be difficult to answer or may bring up difficult feelings. Please know that you can stop at any time, take a break, and return or stop the survey completely by clicking 'end' at any point. Whatever you decide, we will provide some details of where you can get support at the end of the survey, should you need this.

Please note that this survey is not a route to make an official complaint. Please contact your local hospital PALS service who will be able to support you directly with this.

By taking part in this survey, you are consenting to us using your responses to evaluate services in neonatal units across the Thames Valley & Wessex region. All your responses are anonymous.

We may present the findings our survey (sometime using anonymous quotes) to neonatal units within our network and the wider NHS to help improve services. You will not be able to be identified from any of the data or quotes shared.

Thank you for your time and sharing your experiences.

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Neonatal Family Experience Feedback Survey V4

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Web survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified FREE templates.

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Please speak to any of the team if you would like to access our midwifery counsellor for support.

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An information guide about watching and understanding a premature baby.

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This site uses cookies to help us provide you with the best possible online experience. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more about our cookie policy and usage.

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Resources around speaking with your baby to support their development.

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Use our free age-appropriate play leaflets to support your child or patients' development - available in multiple languages. Access our free podcasts, publications, posters and articles to learn more about EiSMART in practice.

Learn more about the EiSMART approach in our video

Learn more about the EiSMART approach in this video, where Anna Basu and team discuss their paper, 'Early intervention programmes for infants at high risk of atypical neurodevelopmental outcome'.

PLAY VIDEO

Free Resources To Support High Risk Infants

Our Leaflets

Read Our Publications

Early intervention programs for infants at high risk of atypical neurodevelopmental outcome

A presentation of the EiSMART framework published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.

LISTEN TO PODCAST

support us

Give high risk infants the best start in life by supporting EiSMART
SUPPORT US

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Receive the latest newsletters, updates and resources from EiSMART
JOIN NOW

get in touch

We would love to answer any questions you may have about EiSMART
CONTACT US

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Building A Brighter Future For High Risk Infants: EiSMART is a transdisciplinary approach to early intervention for infants at risk of developmental delays.

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Please scroll to the bottom of the page to see the weight conversion chart.

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University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Welcome to the Trevor Mann Baby Unit - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Information about the Trevor Mann Baby Unit.

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Six conversations about feeding and caring for your baby to help them get off to the best possible start in life.

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University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Feeding and caring for your baby

Great start

Open conversations about feeding and caring for your baby. Talk with your midwife about getting ready to meet your baby and come along to our antenatal classes to find out more.

We will support you every step of the way and will let you know about local and national support.

Love

Your baby needs lots of love and cuddles.

Oxytocin is the love hormone that is released when you and your baby are close and it makes babies happy. Skin to skin is a great way to start, and do it for as long as you like, no matter how you feed your baby. If your baby is born premature, ask your nurse about kangaroo care.

Brain development

Comforting your baby helps them manage their emotions and helps their brain development.

Babies' brains grow rapidly during the first 1,001 days between pregnancy and their second birthday.

Talk to your bump and feel your baby's kicks.

Playing and singing with babies, builds brain connections and these positive experiences can last a lifetime.

Responsive feeding

Breastfeeding is more than food. It also calms and soothes your baby.

Respond to your baby's early cues for hunger. Crying is a late cue.

Breastfed babies feed often, and cannot be overfed.

If feeding by bottle hold your baby close, look in their eyes and limit the number of people feeding your baby in the early days. This will help your baby feel safe and secure.

Safety

Keeping your baby safe - food, family and environment.

We will have conversations with you about keeping your baby safe including safe sleeping, stopping smoking and safe formula feeding.

We will share information with you about how to cope with infant crying.

Protection

Human milk protects both mothers and babies.

It is a living substance that changes day by day, feed by feed. Breastmilk protects babies from infections, allergies, diabetes, heart disease, childhood leukemia, obesity and SIDS. It protects mothers from breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis. It protects premature babies from necrotising entercolitis. Babies don't need any other fluid or food for the first 6 months. Every single drop is precious.

At UHSussex we celebrate inclusivity and diversity and provide respectful care to all our LGBTQI+ families. Speak with us about your preferred language choices around infant feeding.

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Flying Start - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Open conversations about feeding and caring for your baby. Talk with your midwife about getting ready to meet your baby and come along to our antenatal classes to find out more. We will support you every step of the way and will let you know about local and national support.

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A guide to to feeding and caring for your baby to help get them off to a flying start in life.

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Southampton Hospital has a milk bank where you can donate your breast milk, click the link to find out more information.

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The Southampton Milk Bank supports neonatal units across the south of England, and thanks to funding from Southampton Hospitals Charity, they now have specially designed freezer bags to transport the milk.
Tania Gane, Southampton Donor Milk Bank, says: "Earlier this year, University Hospital Southampton (UHS) issued a plea for milk donations as our reserves were running low.

The Southampton Milk Bank at UHS sends milk out to neonatal units throughout the south, and as far as the Channel Islands.

Donor milk is primarily used when mothers of premature babies struggle to establish their own milk supply, or if they are unable to breast feed due to physical illness.

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Milk Bank freezer bags for neonatal deliveries - Southampton Hospitals Charity

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The Southampton Milk Bank supports neonatal units across the south of England, and thanks to funding from Southampton Hospitals Charity, they now have specially designed freezer bags to transport the milk.

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Hand washing will become part of your normal routine whilst your baby is on the neonatal unit. It helps to prevent infections which is extremely important for you and your baby.

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Being involved in your baby’s care and procedures | Bliss

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Information on being involved in your baby’s care and procedures on the neonatal unit. Read about procedures in neonatal care, the role of parents in comfort and pain relief and working together with the neonatal care team.

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Some babies born premature or sick who need more help with their breathing will go home on oxygen. This means their breathing will be supported by additional oxygen from a tank which is given to them through a tube in their nose. This may seem scary at first. But remember that you should not be expected to do anything at home that has not been explained to you by a healthcare professional. The unit staff will give you lots of support to make sure you are comfortable with the equipment and confident and prepared to use it. You can always ask them if you have any questions.

Talk to the unit staff about your baby's oxygen requirements outside the home before you leave the unit. You should also have support from a community neonatal nurse who you can talk to when you are at home.

Why does my baby need home oxygen?

Your baby may need home oxygen because their lungs are not working well enough for them to get enough oxygen from the air. The most common reason for this is a condition called chronic lung disease (CLD). This is where fragile, immature lungs become scarred because of inflammation. It is also called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Your baby may need to go home on oxygen for other reasons. Ask the staff at the unit if you are unsure.

Where can I get oxygen equipment?

Before the oxygen is ordered, your community neonatal nurse or other healthcare professional should fill in an Initial Home Oxygen Risk Mitigation (IHORM) form and a Home Oxygen Consent Form (HOCF). To do this, they will ask you some questions which will assess any risks to you or your baby if home oxygen is installed. Completing these forms will help to make sure that your home is suitable for home oxygen.

A member of unit staff will order your baby's oxygen on a Home Oxygen Order Form (HOOF). They will also write a HOOF prescription for the amount of oxygen your baby will need. This will be given to the oxygen supplier in your area. They will contact you and arrange to deliver and install the oxygen supply to your home. The unit staff will ask for your consent for the supplier to contact you.

All oxygen equipment is supplied by one of four suppliers depending on where you live in the UK. The oxygen supplier is responsible for maintenance and any equipment failures. They will also provide emergency cylinders in case of electricity or equipment failure. You can find more information about these suppliers on the NHS website. Your supplier will give you information packs, training and a number to call if you have any questions.

Preparing for your baby to go home on oxygen

Before you go home, you will have a discharge planning meeting which will include healthcare professionals involved in your baby's care. In this meeting, they will plan for your baby to go home on oxygen. You can use this opportunity to ask any questions you have.

A healthcare professional will visit your home to support you with any practical issues. For example, this could include where to store the oxygen tanks or install more plug points. They will also visit you regularly to support you with any practical issues and will tell you as early as possible if you need to make any adaptations to your home. Your oxygen supplier will tell your gas and electricity supplier that you are storing oxygen in the home. This is important so that they can prioritise you if there is a power cut in the home.

Here are some things you should consider doing before you go home from the unit:

Ask questions about the equipment and how to monitor the oxygen supply so that you feel comfortable using it.

Ask a healthcare professional how to check the prongs and tubes are connected correctly and how to check for blockages.

Contact your home and car insurers and your landlord, if you have one, to tell them you will be using home oxygen.

Check your smoke alarms so you know that they work properly. Some oxygen suppliers will also contact the Fire and Rescue service to tell them that you are using home oxygen. The Fire and Rescue service may contact you to do a fire safety check for your home.

The supplier will show you how to use the equipment and will talk to you about the safety measures when you have oxygen at home. Unit staff will also train you to use the equipment. You could ask a family member or a friend to be there when the oxygen is installed, so that they also know what to do.

Safety when your baby is going home on oxygen

Oxygen is a fire hazard, so it is important to be very careful around flammable substances and to keep cylinders away from heat sources. Is it very important that you do not smoke or allow anyone to smoke near your baby. This include e-cigarettes. The NHS website has some more information about what to be aware of.

How will I know what level of oxygen to use?

A healthcare professional supporting you with your discharge from the unit will explain the amount of oxygen that your baby needs. It is not advised to reduce or increase oxygen over a long period of time without your healthcare professional's advice, as this can be dangerous. If you think the level needs changing, talk to your community neonatal nurse. You should expect the levels to vary as the needs of your baby change.

Going outside with your baby on oxygen

Some parents worry about going outside with their baby on oxygen, especially as there is a lot of equipment to move about. But many parents are able to go out and about with oxygen.

You will need to have a supply of portable oxygen to do this. Portable oxygen is prescribed with the oxygen supply requested for use inside your home. Portable cylinders will come with a carry bag to make it easier to travel in the pushchair or car.

When you are ready to go out, remember to check the oxygen flow and contents of your portable oxygen supply before leaving the home. When using a portable cylinder, check that the oxygen supply is enough for the time you will be out.

If you use public transport or taxis, some transport companies may not take oxygen on board, so check this is okay first.

Moving around the home with oxygen

Moving around the home may seem challenging. The best and safest way to move around is to take your baby to the room you want to go to, and then come back for the low flow meter and tubing. The oxygen supplier may be able to provide long tubing to allow you to move around the house.

Before going home, your baby will be monitored without oxygen for a short time to check their reaction. This should help reassure you that it is okay to quickly move from room to room when needed.

If your baby has not been monitored without oxygen, talk to your community neonatal nurse. Some babies do not respond well to being disconnected, so it is important to be clear what to do before you go home.

What to do in an emergency

The unit staff will talk to you about who to contact if you have concerns about your baby when they have left hospital. Your oxygen supplier will provide you with a 24-hour emergency contact number. If you are worried your baby is not getting enough oxygen, is having difficulty breathing or might be seriously ill, call 999.

We have more information about signs to look out for if you think your baby might be becoming unwell.

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Some babies born premature or sick who need more help with their breathing will go home on oxygen. This means their breathing will be supported by additional oxygen from a tank which is given to them through a tube in their nose. This may seem scary at first.

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Learning to talk takes time! Find out how you can help your baby with their speech development. If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor or health visitor.

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Positive touch is a way of communicating your love and reassurance to your baby and hearing your baby's needs in return. Babies do communicate, and by watching and listening to your baby you can learn what kind of touch to use and when it is appropriate, safe and pleasurable for your baby.

It's harder for your baby to communicate when exposed to too much noise, too much light, too much cool air, or an uncomfortable lying position. See whether the environment can be calmed down first. In time, you will get to know your baby's individual ways and you may find your baby responding more often and for longer.

Comfort holding

Comfort holding is one of many ways for you and your baby to get to know each other. Your baby may be more comfortable lying in the incubator than being held. In this case, the staff may suggest that you try comfort holding if they think your baby is well enough. Comfort holding is 'still touch'. Cradling your baby with still, resting hands can be more comforting than stroking or massage, which are more stimulating.

Comfort holding can:

soothe your baby during uncomfortable procedures.

settle a restless baby.

help your baby to get back to sleep after feeds and care.

encourage your baby to be quietly awake and responsive.

Comfort holding is a way to experience loving touch when your baby is not ready to be held.

Talk to your baby's nurse about comfort holding. Together you can watch for signs from your baby that will guide you as to when and how to do it.

Be careful to:

Remove watches and jewellery, pull your sleeves up to the elbows, and wash your hands and lower arms. This reduces the risk of infection inside the incubator.

Always make sure that your hands are warm before touching your baby.

If your baby has difficulty keeping warm, make sure there is a layer of fabric (a hat, vest or blanket) between you.

Speak to your baby before touching, so that they are aware of your presence before you start.

Cradle one or both hands around your baby's feet, head or body, and keep them still. Your baby may also like to grasp one of your fingers.

Wait and watch for signs that tell you that your baby is relaxed.

You can continue for as long as you are both comfortable. When you finish comfort holding, move your hands away from your baby very slowly.

Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo Care is skin-to-skin contact when a baby is placed against the parent's chest. Benefits include improvements with lactation and with establishing breastfeeding, and better weight gain for the baby. In the longer term, it helps parents to feel closer to their babies and more confident in caring for them. Kangaroo Care can be used with babies with high medical needs, but this will require careful planning and collaboration with the neonatal staff.

Talk to staff and plan a good time and comfortable place for you to try Kangaroo Care.

While Kangaroo Care is based on direct skin-to-skin contact, removing your baby's clothes is not vital if this is upsetting for him or her. A hat and a blanket for extra warmth might be necessary for very small babies.

Hold your baby chest-to-chest tucked inside your clothes, enclosing him/her to keep his/her temperature stable. Check that the head is well supported and if you can't see your baby easily, try using a hand mirror.

Explore what you both like to enjoy together. Some babies like to have their eyes shielded, others like to be sung to softly or while having a tube feed. Allow time for your baby to settle and get the full benefit.

If you baby is happy, you can cuddle for as long as you are both comfortable. Lie back, relax and enjoy.

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Premature and sick babies undergo many medical procedures that can cause them some discomfort. As your baby's parents, you are the best people to balance this with a positive, reassuring touch.

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Resources for nurturing sensory environment | Sensory Beginnings

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Resources for you in our nurturing sensory environment domains, to support your knowledge of the role of sensory processing.

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Skin-to-skin contact - Baby Friendly Initiative

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Skin-to-skin contact is important for babies and mothers to develop close, loving parent-infant relationships and to initiate breastfeeding.

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Support and advice for those with Twins or more

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Twins Trust - We support twins, triplets and more...

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Supporting you through every milestone of your journey with twins, triplets or more. From being pregnant with twins, triplets or quads through to parenting twins, triplets or quads, we are here for you.

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Whether you are a new or expectant parent, a professional interested to know about Down syndrome or a member of the public - you've come to the right place!

We hope that our stories and photos reassure you, inspire you and show you the reality of life with Down syndrome. There is a lot of negativity, fear of and ignorance around Down syndrome, but we are the experts on living with someone with Down syndrome and these stories are written honestly from experience and absolute understanding.

#NobodyToldMe is a collection of personal experiences written by young people with Down syndrome, their friends and family.

#NobodyToldMe challenges outdated perceptions and attitudes towards those with Down syndrome by showing the reality of our lives.

We, too, have experienced receiving the news that our baby has Down syndrome, so we know how you're feeling, what you're worried about, or what you are feeling guilty for thinking. We are delighted to have this opportunity to share a little of our lives with you to try to address some of those feelings.

There are groups all around the UK, offering a range of support and community.

Click the button below to see a map showing what groups there are near you.

The stories here are our true and personal experiences. PADS is not affiliated with any religious or political organisation.

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Positive About Down Syndrome - A website by parents for parents and parents-to-be

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Whether you are a new or expectant parent, a professional interested to know about Down syndrome or a member of the public - you've come to the right place! We hope that our stories and photos reassure you, inspire you and show you the reality of life with Down syndrome.

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Available at participating ASDA pharmacies see link for the nearest ASDA

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Your support helps us to fund a diverse range of projects across our seven hospitals. Here are some initiatives we are proud to have been involved in:

We provided clothing packs to ensure that patients without access to clean clothes are able to leave hospital in comfort and with dignity

We created a beautiful hospital garden at Worthing Hospital where patients, families and staff can take a break away from the busy hospital environment

RITA (Reminiscence Interactive Therapy Activities)

We funded interactive touch screens which allow Critical Care patients to use apps, games and other leisure activities as part of their hospital recovery

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Your support helps us to fund a diverse range of projects across our seven hospitals.

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Infant Milks and how to safely make up formula

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Infant Milks and how to safely make up formula

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Infant milks for parents & carers — First Steps Nutrition Trust

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First Steps Nutrition Trust is a charity which provides clear, evidence-based and independent information and support for good nutrition from pre-conception to five years of age.

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Video on positioning and attachment, for more information see the 'Flying Start' Padlet

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In this video, a breastfeeding counsellor helps a mother with her positioning and attachment whilst breastfeeding.

Key to achieving the Baby Friendly standards is a workforce able to support mothers to breastfeed effectively. This video provides some guidance on this.

You can see more of the 'From Bump to Breastfeeding' DVD on the Best Beginnings website.

Video not working? Contact us

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Positioning and attachment video - Baby Friendly Initiativ

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In this video, a breastfeeding counsellor helps a mother with her positioning and attachment whilst breastfeeding. Watch to learn more.

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This video guides mothers on how to hand express and talks about the times when hand expression might be useful.

See the Breastfeeding Network website for FAQs and a leaflet all about expressing and storing breastmilk.

Problems viewing this video? Contact us.

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Hand expression video - Baby Friendly Initiative

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This video guides you through how to hand express, and talks about the times when hand expression might be useful for you.

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Help improve maternity and neonatal services, provide feedback and suggestions.

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UHSussex MVP are a partnership of parents & health professionals from Brighton & Hove, Haywards Heath, Worthing & Chichester. We work together collaboratively to make improvements to maternity services.
We listen to service users feedback and hear the voices of women, birthing people and their families. We advocate for

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It is important to have your say and provide feedback on your experiences on the neonatal journey.

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TVW Parent Advisory Group - Neonatal Network South East

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Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)

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Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)

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PALS is here to provide support and listen to concerns you may have on the care your baby has received. They help to pass on feedback to staff.

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University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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How we can help

We recognise that coming to hospital can sometimes be difficult and we're here to help if you need it.

PALS can help patients or their relatives and carers by:

providing information about services both here at the Trust and other organisations

contacting the departments in the hospital on your behalf

listening to any concerns you may have and helping to resolve them

passing on your feedback and compliments to staff

advising how you can make a complaint

If you have any issues or concerns about your care, it's always best to first speak to the person in charge of the ward or department. If you're not happy with their response, then please do get in touch with PALS.

Staff really appreciate it when patients, visitors or relatives thank them for their experience. We keep a record of all compliments we receive and, with your permission, we share these with other staff in the hospital. If you wish to compliment staff, volunteers or a service please contact the relevant site. The contact details are below:

Where to find PALS

The PALS team can be reached by email or phone. You can also complete a contact form.

Alternatively you can visit the teams in our hospitals. Our contact numbers and locations are:

Making a formal complaint

For those wishing to make a formal complaint about their care, the NHS Complaints Standard was published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on 30th March 2021 and sets out how organisations providing NHS services should approach complaint handling.

An effective complaint handling system promotes a culture that is open and accountable when things do not go as they should. It creates an environment where staff feel supported and empowered to learn when things do not go as expected, rather than feeling blamed. It uses learning to improve its services and makes sure every member of staff knows their role in promoting a just and learning culture. It puts in place clear ways to demonstrate how the organisation uses learning to improve.

A formal complaint can be made in writing to the Chief Executive by completing this complaint form and emailing to: [email protected] .

A complaint may be made by a patient or a person acting on behalf of a patient who has received treatment at the Trust. Where the complainant is acting on behalf of the patient, verbal or written consent must be obtained from the patient before investigations are undertaken and a response made.

The complaints team will contact the complainant with the relevant consent documentation. Please follow this link for the consent form. Where the patient is a child (under the age of 16), a complaint may be made by the parent or legal guardian. Where the patient does not have capacity, the complaint may be made on their behalf by their nominated next of kin. Where the patient has died, the complaint may be made by any person demonstrating that they are acting on behalf of the deceased.

If a patient is still not happy with the response provided by the Trust, they can ask the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to look at your complaint.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Phone: 0345 015 4033.

If you need independent help to make a complaint, you can contact the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS) in your area. IHCAS can help by supporting you through the process and representing your wishes and feelings. They will help you explore the options for taking your complaint forward. IHCAS can also provide help with interpreters if there are language difficulties. You can contact your local IHCAS - see below:

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PALS - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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The patient advice and liaison service (PALS) is here to help with your care at our hospitals if you need advice and support.

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The Friends are proud to be entirely volunteer led and operated, supporting St Richard's Hospital and local mental health services. This means that all the money we raise goes directly to making a real difference for patients, visitors and staff.

Much of the vital equipment used in the hospital on a daily basis has been provided by funds raised by the Friends. Visit our blog to see our latest fundraising events, appeals and equipment provided. Every £1 makes a difference.

Our Trustees are elected by the members and are drawn from a variety of backgrounds - business, administration, medical careers etc. They share a common desire to support Chichester's hospitals effectively so that patients in this large catchment area can have the best possible medical facilities.

More about us

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Friends of Chichester Hospitals | Chichester & West Sussex

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The Friends of Chichester Hospitals supports St Richard's Hospital & mental health services in West Sussex. All the money we raise goes directly to making a real difference for patients, visitors and staff.

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1. Ensure mobile phones are on silent mode when entering the unit.

2.Use wipes to clean your phones when entering the nursery.

3. Remove outdoor clothing (coats etc) on entering the unit and hang on a coat hook. Please remember to remove any valuables from your pockets. All bags to be left in lockers in parent kitchen.

4. Always gel your hands on entering and leaving the unit.

5. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching/handling your baby- See leaflet attached for instructions on good handwashing.

6. If you have a temperature/fever please discuss with the nurse in charge before visiting. Please refrain from entering the unit if you have any of the following: colds, coughs, cold sores, diarrhoea and vomiting (and for 48 hrs after), chicken pox or any other infection. Children particularly require strict assessment for any of the above. If the nursing staff feel it would be better if a visitor did not stay because of the risk of infection they may ask them to leave. We hope this is understood to be in the best interests of all, as small infants are particularly at risk from infection.

7. Please ensure the privacy and dignity of the other babies and their families is maintained by restricting your viewing to your baby and cot space only. Visitors are requested not to ask questions about any other babies.

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Unit specific Information

About Neonatal units

Is my baby OK?

Admission leaflets

Day on a neonatal unit

Developmental Care

Caring for your baby

Colostrum

Breastfeeding

Bottle feeding

Sleeping

Support for you

Transferring closer to home

Keeping your baby safe

Screening Tests

Getting ready for home

Discharge leaflets

At Home

Charity Support

Thames Valley and Wessex ODN

Useful Information

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University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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Download and print as a PDF (942kB pdf)

Dear Parents

Congratulations on your baby's arrival. At UHSussex we are committed to supporting breastfeeding, and recognise that this is particularly important for sick and premature babies.
We will assist you to hand express your milk before, during or after labour and use a breast pump if needed. Ideally we would like your baby to have their first feed within 2 hours of birth. It is perfectly normal to only get small amounts at first, and it may take a few days for your milk to come in. Any milk you can provide will be beneficial for your baby.

Whatever your long term feeding choice we do ask that while your baby is in the neonatal unit that you express your breast milk, as it is the only milk which helps to protect a premature baby's delicate gut from developing a serious condition that can
cause a baby to become very sick.

Your milk will be given as medicine with every dose providing antibodies and goodness to help your baby get better, stay well, and grow.

Babies learn to feed in their own time but practice makes perfect.

Colostrum

Your first milk is called colostrum.
Your body starts producing colostrum around 16 weeks of pregnancy so if your baby is born early you will have colostrum there. Please ask for our help in expressing it.

* Comes in small, viscous quantities, sometimes just a few drops.
* Helps to protect your baby from infections and build a strong immune system.
* Primes and coats your baby's stomach and intestines to help prevent germs from causing illness.
* Helps regulate the baby's blood glucose.
* Provides the perfect blend of nutrients for your baby's brain, eyes, and heart.
* It is complete nutrition that is easy for your baby's stomach to digest. Combining hand expressing and using the breast pump will give you the best chance of achieving a full milk supply.

Hand expressing is the best way to collect your colostrum but the breast pump can stimulate your breasts to produce more colostrum and bring in your milk. No amount is too small; each drop is beneficial to your baby's health.

Information:

Progressing to suck feeds

* Observe your baby for readiness to feed and feeding cues.
* Watch these videos demonstrating positioning your baby for breastfeeding.
* Learn how to give your baby milk by nasogastric tube while they are learning to feed responsively.
* Premature babies learn to feed first by 'non-nutritive' sucking on a dummy or on a recently expressed breast. Express before skin to skin cuddles and let then try from around 28 weeks gestation.

Babies learn to feed in their own time but practice makes perfect.

Hand expressing

Always wash your hands before collecting milk.

You can start collecting colostrum for your baby from 36 weeks gestation, once you have been induced or 48 hours before your birth is scheduled.

Watch the video on hand expressing to learn more.

Information:

Label your syringe with your name, plus the date and time that you expressed and give it to your nurse to be given directly to your baby.

Breast massage techniques

Gentle breast massage helps your milk to flow. Massage your breasts for a minute or so before expressing and then hand express a small amount of milk onto the nipple tip before applying the pump funnels. Massage should feel comfortable so remember to be gentle.

If your milk is slow try:

* Applying a warm compress, such as a flannel or towel to your breast.
* Stroking your breast with gentle feather-like movements.
* Massaging your breast with a hand action that rolls the knuckles downwards over the breast, beginning at the top of the breast and working towards the areola, gradually going over the whole breast.
* Stroking the area under the nipple and areola with flat hands in an upward movement.
* Asking your partner or a friend to massage your back before you express.

Electric breast pump

Using a hospital grade electric breast pump can fire up your milk making cells and maximises your long term milk production. Pump use is often started after hand expressing around day 1. However some women may wish to start earlier, soon after birth. Hand expressing is still the best way to collect colostrum in the first few days.

* Expressing both breasts at the same time helps maximise your milk production.
* Breast massage helps to stimulate your milk flow before pumping and ensures your breasts are fully drained at the end of pumping.
* Use the gentle and stimulating INITIATE or STIMULATION setting until your milks transitions or until day 6 after birth. This will run for 15 minutes and turn itself off on some pumps and others you need to time it.
* Once your colostrum transitions to breast milk (or day 6 after birth even if your milk has not transitioned), use the MAINTAIN setting to drain your breast effectively. Express until the flow of milk ceases plus 2 minutes or 15 to 20 minutes if there is no flow.

Comfort

Pumping should be comfortable. If you feel any discomfort check:

Your funnels are the correct size. Check our guide below.

The vacuum is not set too high. Increase the vacuum on the pump slowly until it starts to feel a bit uncomfortable and then reduce it by 2.

Your nipple is central to the funnel.

You do not remove the funnel while the pump is running.

Your bra is comfortable with no under-wires.

Information:

Milk flow and volumes

* Your colostrum will transition to milk from day 2 to 3 but can be delayed up to a week following difficult births.
* Once your colostrum transitions to milk it should start flowing within a couple of minutes of starting the pump.
* You will see an increase in volume day by day until you are expressing up to 750mls by 2 to 3 weeks.

If your milk is slow or your volumes are low:

Massage and hand expressing some milk onto the nipple tip before starting the pump.

Gently compress (squeeze) your breast while you express.

Expressing by the cot-side or looking at a photograph and/or smelling something with your baby's scent on it.

Regular skin to skin cuddles with baby.

Expressing immediately after close contact with your baby.

Cluster/power pumping, see below.

Watch hands on pumping video

Cluster pumping/power pumping

One hour option add one in every day
Pump 20 mins
Rest 10 mins
Pump 10 mins
Rest 10 mins
Pump 10 mins

Four hour option
Express for 15 minutes and then take a 30 minute break. Repeat for the full 4 hours. Do this for 3 consecutive days for best effect.

Expressing frequency and times

Expressing 8 to 10 times in 24 hours, including once in the night.

Expressions do not have to be done to a particular routine; rather they should fit in with your daily schedule. It is beneficial to 'surprise' the breasts by not always pumping at the same times each day. Leave no longer than 5 hours between expressions at night, and no longer than 4 hours in the day. If you do choose to have a 4 to 6 hour gap between expressions, you will then need to cluster your expressions to fit in the recommended daily amount. Expressing at night between 1am and 5am is hormonally very important for milk production.

Example routine:

Before you go to bed.

Once in the night between 1am and 5am.

As soon as you wake up.

After breakfast.

After skin to skin cuddles with baby.

After lunch.

After an afternoon nap.

After dinner.

While relaxing in the evening.
Keep a log of your expressing times and your 24 hour volumes to discuss with your midwife each day. We can help troubleshoot problems quickly.

Pumping log: at the end of the leaflet is a pumping log form for you to complete. Please print off the PDF version to obtain the form.

Thank you to Oxford University Hospitals and Ashford and St Peters Hospitals for sharing information for this leaflet.

Information:

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Milk as medicine - University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

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What to provide for your baby on the unit 

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What to provide for your baby on the unit 

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We ask parents to provide nappies and cotton wool balls/pads. You are welcome to dress your baby in his or her own clothes, which we will put aside for you to wash. We have special magnets on your baby's name board to ensure everyone is aware that your baby is wearing his/her own clothes.

You can also use the clothes we have on the unit, which have all been donated by previous parents.

You are welcome to place one small soft toy, photo or card in your baby’s cot.

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Our telephone number is 01243 788122 ext. 32985/ 32986

We also have a direct number which is 01243 831442.

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Every child deserves the chance to shine. 

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Parent food supplied by local charity.

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St. Richard's Hospital (Chichester) | Sophies Legacy

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St Richard's Hospital, Chichester is run by Vicky Andrews and Louisa Kingham. They cover Howard Ward and Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

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Baby Check - A helpful app and leaflet to support checking your baby's wellness. Scroll resources until you find 'Baby check'.

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Order copies

Single copies of our publications can be downloaded below.

To order multiple copies, visit our shop or call us on 0203 150 3638 or email lullabytrust-orders@partridgesuk.com

PDF versions of publications

We regularly review research and data, and consequently update the information and advice we provide in line with current evidence.

It is therefore important that organisations do not directly host Lullaby Trust PDF publications on their websites (this represents a breach of copyright), but instead only use links to publications on The Lullaby Trust website. This ensures that the most up-to-date version of a publication is shared by professionals with families and minimises the likelihood of a governance risk.

Thank you for your understanding and your continued support of our work at The Lullaby Trust.

Free downloads

Antenatal publications

Click here to view our antenatal publications

Safer sleep for babies

Click here to view our 'safer sleep for babies' publications

Safer Sleep for babies: a Guide for Parents and Carers
This leaflet provides parents with all the advice on safer sleep and reducing the risk of sudden infant death.

Safer Sleep: Saving Babies Lives a Guide for Professionals
Leaflet written for all professionals working with families with young babies, giving the most up to date advice on safe infant care advice to reduce the risk of sudden infant death.

Safer Sleep for Babies quick reference card
A quick reference guide to the ABCs of safer sleep and tips for safer bedsharing

Safer sleep product guide
A guide for parents on the products they need and those to avoid and what the marketing means

Easy read card
A 2-side card giving key advice for reducing the risk of sudden infant death.

This leaflet is also available to download in the following languages:

If you require the artwork of any of these translations (to supply to a printer), please email communications@lullabytrust.org.uk

Posters

Click here to view our posters

Poster: Safer Sleep
Our newly designed safer sleep poster details the ABCs of Safer Sleep.

Poster: Sofa sharing
A3 poster which provides information on sofa sharing

Poster: Baby Check App advert
An A4 printable poster advertising the free Baby Check smartphone app. Available in portrait and landscape.
Portrait version Landscape version
Infection prevention

Click here to view our infection prevention resources

These resources have been created in consultation with British Paediatric Allergy, Immunity and Infection Group (BPAIIG), an affiliated speciality group of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).

Baby check app

Click here to view publications related to our Baby Check app

Baby Check Health Visitor Card
A two-sided card card explaining the use of the Baby Check App

Baby Check poster
An A4 printable poster advertising the free Baby Check smartphone app. Available in portrait and landscape.
Portrait version Landscape version
Premature babies

Click here to view our publications about premature babies

Safer Sleep Advice for Premature Babies booklet
A booklet written in collaboration with Bliss and Twins Trust featuring safer sleep advice for parents of babies born prematurely or of a low birth weight. Includes additional information for parents of twins, multiples or more.

Safer sleep advice for Emergency Situations

Click here to view our 'safer sleep advice for Emergency Situations' resources

Little Lullaby / Young parents

Click here to view our Little Lullaby publications

About Little Lullaby Booklet
Top Ten Tips for Health Professionals
A4 Poster for Health Professionals

A Young Parent Guide to Loneliness
Produced in collaboration with the Mental Health Foundation.

Safer sleep advice for emergency situations: A Guide for Young Parents and Carers (Little Lullaby version)
Produced in collaboration with Shared Health Foundation.

Games

Click here to view our games

Make a room game
A visual toolkit demonstrating the ideal sleeping environment for a baby

Spot the risk game
A visual toolkit to facilitate discussions on reducing the risks of SIDS

Fact sheets

Click here to view our list of fact sheets

Bereavement publications

Click here to view our bereavement publications

When a baby or young child dies suddenly and unexpectedly
A booklet for parents who have lost a baby or young child, covering what you might experience now and in the future (practically and in terms of thoughts and feelings).

Bereavement support leaflet
Advice and information for bereaved families, including The Lullaby Trust services and other sources of support.

Unicef Baby Friendly Publications

Click here to view the Unicef Baby Friendly publications

The Lullaby Trust has worked with Unicef in the wording on two publications to support families and professionals with the challenge of addressing co-sleeping given the association with SIDS. You might be interested in reading the two Unicef Baby Friendly publications, which are both endorsed by The Lullaby Trust

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Order copies Single copies of our publications can be downloaded below. To order multiple copies, visit our shop or call us on 0203 150 3638 or email lullabytrust-orders@partridgesuk.com PDF versions of publications We regularly review research and data, and consequently update the information and advice we provide in line with current evidence.

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This information is about introducing your premature baby to more solid foods, and the steps you can follow as your baby moves from milk to eventually only eating solids. This is called weaning.

This information is also available as a PDF download at the bottom of this page.

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This information is about introducing your premature baby to more solid foods, and the steps you can follow as your baby moves from milk to eventually only eating solids. This is called weaning.This information is also available as a PDF download at the bottom of this page.

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How to keep your baby safe

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People who work with children often need to give advice and support to parents. This might be about how to cope with a crying baby; working out whether a child is old enough to walk home from school alone; or thinking about how to keep their child safe online.

Our range of leaflets and resources for parents can provide information and help make these conversations easier.

Download or buy our leaflets for parents

Handle with care
Gives advice on safe ways of holding a baby and suggests ways parents can soothe and cope with a crying baby.

Home alone guide
Helps parents decide when it is safe to leave their children home alone and how to choose a babysitter or childminder.

Out alone
Helps parents decide if a child is ready to be out on their own and gives advice on preparing them for different situations such as walking to and from school by themselves, attending sports or holiday clubs, or going out to play with friends.

Positive parenting
Gives advice on setting boundaries for children, building relationships with them and keeping cool when children's behaviour is challenging.

Look, Say, Sing, Play
A set of resources to help parents interact with their baby, boosting child development and setting up positive behaviour as their child grows.

Other helpful resources for parents

Find more information for parents on the NSPCC website:

For further resources to share with parents, search the NSPCC Library catalogue using the keywords "parenting" or "parents' books".
> Find out more about the Library and Information Service

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People who work with children often need to give advice and support to parents. This might be about how to cope with a crying baby; working out whether a child is old enough to walk home from school alone; or thinking about how to keep their child safe online.

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Supporting love and nurture on the neonatal unit

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This leaflet is designed to give parents comfort and confidence in the care of their sick or premature baby.

This leaflet covers a wide range of issues and provides a useful tool to help conversations with parents on the neonatal unit.

Printed copies are available for £15 per pack (1-9 packs) or £11 per pack (10 or more packs). There are 50 leaflets per pack and this price includes P&P within UK. Order using the Baby Friendly Resources order form, which you can download from our Resources page.

Public Health Wales have produced a version of the You and Your Baby neonatal leaflet in Welsh, which is free to download.
Orders for UK delivery only, and include postage and packaging costs. Orders may take up to 7 working days to process. The Baby Friendly Initiative reserve the right to re-print items at any time. If you are looking to order audit tools or e-learning, please use our digital resources order form.

You and Your Baby: Supporting Love and Nurture on the Neonatal Unit leaflet

More neonatal resources to support you

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You and your baby leaflet - Baby Friendly Initiative

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This leaflet covers a wide range of issues and provides a useful tool to help conversations with parents on the neonatal unit.

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Your baby's care, measuring standards and improving neonatal care

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You can download the guide (in English or Welsh) below, or view below:

The photos and quotes in Your baby's care were sent by families who entered our photo competition. We'd like to say a huge thank you to all those who shared their experiences of neonatal care and beautiful images with us!

You can find out more about how we use information about babies experiencing neonatal care and their mothers on our privacy notices for England and Wales, Scotland and Isle of Man.

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Your baby's care - measuring standards and improving neonatal care

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This is our parent and carer guide to the summary report of the National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP) on 2022 data. NNAP data helps neonatal units to give better care to babies. We assess whether babies have had the health checks recommended for them to reduce the risk of complications, and we check how well babies are doing following this care.

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Set up an account to receive secure video updates of your baby

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Scroll right to access the following topics.

-Columns/topics are titled for ease of use

-Scroll up and down through each column to find information/links

-Clink on the website link (if present) or video/photograph to open

-Scroll right through the topic

-You can choose as and when you access the information throughout your neonatal journey

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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The neonatal networks within the South East region consist of the Thames Valley and Wessex Operational Delivery Network and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Operational Delivery Network. The two combined networks cover 27 provider units.

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Thames Valley and Wessex Neonatal Network 

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Thames Valley and Wessex Neonatal Network 

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These are the hospitals that are within the neonatal network that covers Thames Valley and Wessex regions.

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Information on how to express breast milk

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Expressing your milk by hand is a useful skill to have. It may take a bit of time and practice, but once you've mastered it, you'll find it's very helpful.

And the great thing is you only need your hands and a container - rather than a shop-bought breast pump.

Hand expression can be useful in various situations, for example if your baby isn't feeding or latching on well, if you want to stimulate your milk production, or if your breasts become engorged (this is a good way to relieve them).

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Expressing breast milk by hand - Start for Life

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Watch our video and read our step-by-step guide to expressing breast milk by hand.

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Information about hand expressing for colostrum and breast milk.

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Expressing milk by hand

For the first few days after your baby is born, it can be easier to express colostrum (your first milk) by hand. Expressing milk by hand stimulates the hormone oxytocin, which helps to trigger the let-down reflex. This means that hand expressing can be useful if you:

Have just given birth and can only express a small amount of colostrum

Need to increase your milk supply

Have blocked milk ducts

Have engorged breasts (when your breasts become overly full and feel hard and painful)

Have been separated from your baby

Will be only expressing, or expressing for a long period of time.

A midwife or neonatal nurse should show you how to express by hand. We have more information about how often to express and the let-down reflex on this page. We have also included some tips below. UNICEF has a useful video which explains how to express by hand.

You may also want to try expressing with a breast pump.

You can feed expressed milk to your baby using a bottle, which is a great way for partners to be more involved in caring for their baby.

We have some more information about how to store your breast milk at the bottom of this page.

Getting ready to hand express

To reduce the risk of infection to your baby, wash your hands thoroughly before getting ready to express. Have a clean towel ready to catch any spills. A syringe can be used at first to make sure you catch every drop of milk. When you have more milk, using a wide-mouthed container is useful.

Make sure that you are as relaxed and comfortable as possible before hand expressing, as this can help improve milk flow. Taking some deep breaths and concentrating on your breathing can help with this. Expressing after  skin-to-skin  or spending time with your baby can help stimulate the hormone oxytocin. A sturdy chair with arms can make expressing more comfortable. Try to sit with your back straight or leaning slightly forward.

Partners can help by helping you to feel relaxed, and ensuring that you have something to eat or drink nearby. Some parents find that having a photo or something that smells of of their baby close by or listening to relaxing music can help with milk flow, so partners can help to organise this before expressing.

How to hand express

Start with a very gentle breast massage for a few minutes before expressing to encourage the let-down reflex.

Cup your breast in a 'C' shape and feel back from the base of the nipple to around 2 to 3 cm, or to where the texture of your breast feels different. Gently squeeze your thumb and index finger together in this area and then release. This should not hurt.

Release the gentle press and release motion again and again, building up a rhythm. Avoid sliding your fingers over the skin. Milk may start to flow. If this does not happen, try moving your fingers slightly forward or back and try again. When the flow slows down, change the position of your index finger and thumb clockwise to express another area of your breast.

When you have expressed one breast, repeat on the other. Keep changing the breasts until the milk stops or drips very slowly. Changing from one breast to another can help to stimulate the milk ejection reflex.

Continue until the milk flow stops.

You may find that one breast produces more milk, or that milk from one breast flows faster. This is normal.

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For the first few days after your baby is born, it can be easier to express colostrum (your first milk) by hand. Expressing milk by hand stimulates the hormone oxytocin, which helps to trigger the let-down reflex.

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Information of the importance of colostrum and the first few days of feeding your baby.

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Find out what to expect from breastfeeding in the first few days after birth, including what colostrum is, what happens when your milk ‘comes in’ and what the let-down reflex feels like.

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Reducing the risk of infection for your baby

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Reducing the risk of infection for your baby

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There are some key things that everyone can do to reduce the risk of serious infections in babies. It’s important to follow THANKS – Think Hands And No KisseS

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Why do we need to keep babies safe from infection?

It is very important to try and keep babies safe from infection, particularly in the first few weeks of life. Babies have immature immune systems , which means that they are particularly at risk from infections. Infections that may be mild in older children or adults can be

There are some key things that everyone can do to reduce the risk of serious infections in babies. It's important to follow THANKS - Think Hands And No Kisse S

It's also important not to visit a baby if you are ill or have recently been ill. This includes active cold sores as well as diarrhoea and vomiting illnesses. Staying away until you are fully recovered is a key part of keeping babies safe from infection.

Our THANKS buggy tags can be used on your pram to remind people to think twice about touching your baby while you're out and about, particularly if they haven't washed their hands.
Buy a buggy tag

Spotting infections in babies

It can be difficult to tell when your baby has an infection as infections can cause lots of different signs and symptoms, and babies can't say how they feel. But trust your instincts and, if you feel that something is 'not quite right' with your baby, seek help from your midwife, health visitor, GP, NHS 111 or visit an emergency department if you are very worried.
Your baby might have a serious infection if they:
You should also keep an eye on your baby's wet nappies and feeding and speak to a health professional if they have had fewer than 2-3 wet nappies in a 24-hour period.
It is important to get help if you are concerned that your baby might have an infection.

In collaboration with Annabel Karmel, who lost her baby, Natasha, to infection, we are currently running an awareness campaign around the importance of infection prevention. Watch Annabel's story here:
Infection Prevention Campaign

Key information to tell your health professional

Taking steps to prevent and keep babies safe from infection helps a lot, but it's also important to be aware of any exposures in pregnancy or after your baby was born that might have increased their risk of infection.

If you think your baby might have an infection, it is important that health professionals have all the information they need to help them treat your baby.

You will need to let them know if any of the following apply.

🔸 Baby's biological mother:

Had any illnesses during pregnancy such as flu-like symptoms

Missed any routine vaccinations in pregnancy , such as COVID-19, influenza or pertussis vaccines

Developed chicken pox 7 days before or after baby's birth

Has blisters or a rash on their breast/nipple (if breastfeeding)

Has ever had a genital herpes infection , even if they don't currently have symptoms

Had sexual contact with a new partner during pregnancy , particularly in the third trimester

Experienced symptoms of sexually transmitted disease during pregnancy

Travelled overseas during pregnancy

🔸 You or your baby:

🔸 Your baby has had contact with anyone who:

Make sure that you tell the health professionals caring for your baby if any of these apply to you, even if they don't ask. Having this information may give them clues as to why your baby is unwell.

Useful links for spotting and preventing infections

Download our infection prevention posters and red book insert from the bottom of this page. These resources are free to use and have been created in consultation with BPAIIG.

Here are some other links you may find useful:

🟡 Neonatal Herpes

Click here for information about Neonatal Herpes

Herpes simplex virus infection in a newborn baby is called neonatal herpes or neonatal HSV. In young babies who have immature immune systems, HSV infections can spread rapidly if left untreated, causing irreversible cell damage which can lead to permanent disability or death.

Early recognition and prompt treatment with antiviral medication is essential to save the baby's life.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a very common and highly contagious virus which usually spreads from person to person by direct contact. HSV is carried by around 70% of adults in the UK and many carriers have no symptoms at all but in others it can lead to cold sores, blisters on the finger (called herpetic whitlow) or genital ulcers/sores. Infections on other areas of the body including the breast are also possible, but less common.

In older children and adults with normal immune systems, HSV infections are not normally serious and will get better without treatment but if left untreated in young babies, it is life-threatening.
More info here:
🟡 Group B Strep

Click here for information about Group B Strep

Group B Strep is one of the many bacteria that normally live in our bodies and usually cause no harm. It can be passed from person to person through direct physical contact, however it is not a sexually transmitted disease.

Testing for Group B Strep is not routinely offered to all pregnant women in the UK, often it is found by chance after a swab or urine test for another reason. Even if you carry Group B Strep, it is unlikely that your baby will develop this infection, however the risk of your baby becoming unwell with a Group B Strep infection is increased if your baby is born pre-term, if you have signs of infection in labour or if your labour hasn't started more than 24 hours after your waters break. Most early-onset Group B Strep infections can be prevented by antibiotics during labour. You should be offered these if you have tested positive for Group B Strep in pregnancy or if you have previously had a baby affected by a Group B Strep infection.
More info here:
🟡 Healthier Together

Click here for information about Healthier Together

The Healthier Together programme involves patients and healthcare professionals working together to improve how local healthcare is delivered. Each website, tailored for your specific region, provides advice for parents, young people and pregnant women, and clinical resources to support healthcare professionals - which means that your child is likely to receive consistently high-quality care, irrespective of which healthcare professional they see.
More info here:
🟡 Baby Check App

Click here for information about our free app

Baby Check is a free app from The Lullaby Trust. It features 19 simple checks that parents can do if their baby is showing signs of illness. Each check tests for a different symptom and when completed, a score is calculated that tells parents or carers how ill their baby is. The app then lets parents know whether their baby needs to see a doctor or health professional.
More info here: Download for FREE here:
The Lullaby Trust and Kit Tarka Foundation

Click here to read about The Lullaby Trust and Kit Tarka Foundation

You may have spotted an adorable little otter on our resources for preventing and spotting infections in babies. This very special otter symbolises the work of the Kit Tarka Foundation, whose guidance has been developed to create these important resources.

Kit Tarka Foundation was established in 2018 by Sarah and James de Malplaquet after their son Kit Tarka died at just 13 days old.

Kit's story

After discovering that Kit had died from neonatal herpes (the  cold sore virus in babies), Sarah set out to learn as much as she could about this devastating disease. She was astonished by the lack of awareness amongst the general public and, most disturbingly, by the huge gaps in knowledge of symptoms and best practice in the UK medical profession. It soon became clear that Kit's death had been preventable and that the lack of knowledge around the transmission, recognition and treatment of the virus had led to his tragic and untimely death .
You can tap here to read Kit's story
Deepening understanding around keeping babies safe from infection

After contacting several charities to see if they could facilitate long overdue research into neonatal herpes but being told it was not within the scope of any of them, Sarah and James decided they needed to establish their own charity to help prevent more tragedies like Kit's. To that end, Kit Tarka Foundation was launched with a mission to prevent newborn baby deaths through research and education, and deepen understanding around how to keep babies safe from infection.

With the sad news that Kit Tarka Foundation was winding down its activities in 2023, we at The Lullaby Trust felt that the work of this wonderful charity fit perfectly with our own mission of 'saving more babies lives'. Subsequently, the fantastic work of the Kit Tarka Foundation has been further developed with a team of infant infection specialists at The Lullaby Trust to widen the scope and cover a greater range of infant infections, with an ultimate goal to ensure this life saving information reaches as may families as possible.

Why an otter?

Kit was given the middle name Tarka for Sarah's love of swimming and James' love of otters. He was their little otter who never got to swim. They noticed from the clothes that Kit wore in his time with them that they also really liked the colour orange and it became his colour. Friends and family wore orange flowers in remembrance of Kit at his funeral. In memory of Kit and to recognise the outstanding work of the Kit Tarka Foundation, with kind permission we are happy to share that this little otter has joined us at The Lullaby Trust to continue to help keep babies safe from infections.
Please note, for simplicity of language, the information on this page may include the term 'woman' or 'mother' and this should be taken to include people who do not identify as women but who are pregnant or who have given birth.

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Keeping babies safe from infection - The Lullaby Trust

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It is important to try and keep babies safe from infection. Reduce the risk of by following THANKS guidance - Think Hands And No KisseS

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Sometimes the nursing and medical team may use specific wording, here you will find what those words may mean.

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This page contains a guide to help you understand some of the common words and terms you might hear while on a neonatal unit.

When you are new to the neonatal unit, it can feel like you hear many new words. You might hear medical words, or shortened or abbreviated words which you have not heard before. This can feel confusing and overwhelming at a difficult time.

You have the right to understand the care your baby is getting and how they are doing. The neonatal team will work to make sure they explain things in a way that you understand.

If you are ever unsure about your baby's care, or you do not know what some words mean, let the staff know. They will be happy to explain things in a different way for you, and explain anything you are unsure about.

To find the term you are interested in, scroll through the alphabetical list below.

A

Acidosis (pronounced ass-sid-oh-sis) A high level of natural acid in the blood. This can be because the lungs are not working well, or because not enough oxygen is reaching parts of the body. It can be a combination of both. Sometimes, the body produces too much acid, or the kidneys do not remove the acids from the blood. This is called metabolic acidosis.

Anaemia (pronounced anne-eem-me-ah) Too little haemoglobin in the blood (see 'Haemoglobin').

Apgar score A simple way of checking a baby's health immediately after birth, by scoring 'points' for heart rate, breathing, skin colour, tone and the baby's reactions.

Apnoea (pronounced app-knee-ah) A pause in breathing for 20 seconds or longer.

Apnoea of prematurity Premature babies may have an apnoea because of being the part of the brain that controls breathing is not developed yet. Often the baby starts breathing on their own, but might need to be gently helped by moving them slightly. Caffeine is often given to help with this. Apnoeas in premature babies might happen more than once. Most babies will grow out of apnoea of prematurity by the time they are around 36 weeks.

Apnoea alarms or monitors A monitor that checks that a baby is breathing regularly. These set off an alarm if the baby pauses for 20 seconds or longer between breaths.

Asphyxia (pronounced ass-fix-ee-ya) A condition where there is too little oxygen and too little blood flow in the body. This can cause injury to the brain and other organs in the body. The most common time for asphyxia to happen is during labour (whilst the baby is being born) or at birth.

Aspirate (pronounced ass-pi-rate) This word is used in different ways in the neonatal unit:

Doctors and nurses might talk about 'checking the aspirate' before putting a milk feed down a nasogastric or orogastric tube. This means that a syringe is attached to the end of the feeding tube to get a small amount of the baby's stomach contents. It will be tested by using a pH paper or stick to make sure that the tube is in the stomach and it is safe for feeding. This aspirate will be checked regularly.

You might hear the word 'aspirate' used when something other than air (eg. meconium) is inhaled into a baby's lungs before the baby has been fully born. This is called meconium aspiration, which can be a serious, although rare, condition (see 'Meconium' and 'Meconium aspiration' for further information).

Milk aspiration is when the baby inhales small amounts of milk when feeding. This can happen if they are premature and have not yet developed some skills needed for feeding.

Audiology (hearing) tests There are two ways of assessing a baby's hearing. Both involve placing earphones over the baby's ears to deliver a series of clicks. The baby's responses to the clicks are then analysed.

B

Bagging Putting a mask connected to a squeezable bag or pressure device over the baby's nose and mouth to help breathing.

Bilirubin (pronounced billy-roo-bin) A yellow part in the blood that gives a yellow colouring to the skin. High levels can be dangerous, and cause jaundice.

Blood cultures If doctors think that a baby may have an infection, a small blood sample is taken and added to and sent to the laboratory for testing. Results are available after 48 hours. When it is known what bacteria are in the baby's body, the team can check that the baby is on the right antibiotics to kill that bacteria.

Blood gases This is a test done in a laboratory to find out the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide gases and acids in the blood. Medical staff do this to work out how well the lungs and circulation are functioning, and to make sure any breathing help they are getting is working well. The number of gases that need to be checked will depend on the problems the baby is having. Some blood gas tests also measure the amount of salt (often called sodium) in a baby's blood.

Blood pressure This is the pressure generated in the body's arteries by the pumping of the heart. It is often monitored in babies who are unwell. They can do this using a cuff on the baby's leg or arm, or a line in their vein. If the blood pressure is too low, the baby may be treated with medicine.

Blood transfusion This is when extra blood is given from a donor. A blood transfusion might be needed to treat severe anaemia (a serious lack of red blood cells), low blood pressure, or during or after an operation.

Bradycardia (brad-ee-card-ee-ah) This is when the heart rate slows down for a period of time. This is common in premature babies. It is usually part of apnoea of prematurity (see above). The baby usual recovers on their own. Sometimes, the staff might need to stimulate the baby to make them respond. Bradycardia usually stops after about 36 weeks' gestation.

Breast pump Piece of equipment used forexpressing breast milk. They can be manual (done by hand) or electric.

Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia (pronounced bron-co pul-mon-air-ree dis-play-zee-a) See 'Chronic lung disease'.

C

Candida (pronounced can-di-dah) A yeast infection (where fungus grows) of the skin, mouth, gut, groin or inside parts of the genitals).

Cannula (pronounced can-you-la) A very small, short, soft plastic tube that is put into a baby's vein to give fluids or medicines straight into the bloodstream without having to keep using needles. Veins in the arms and legs are usually used, although sometimes the veins in the baby's scalp have to be used. A cannula can last for several days but can also need to be changed every few hours.

Cannulae (pronounced can-you-lee)

Soft plastic prongs which go into the nose to send oxygen into the lungs.

Centile charts (pronounced sen-tile) Graphs showing the normal ranges of body measurements at different ages, like weight and the size of the baby's head.

Cerebrospinal fluid (sometimes called CSF, and pronounced se-ree-bro-spy-nal) Fluid made within the parts of the brain which flow down and around the spinal cord. If anything gets in the way of this flow, fluid can't be removed and the pressure rises. This can cause the parts of the brain to get bigger, which can lead to a condition called hydrocephalus.

Cerebral Function Monitor (sometimes called CFM)

A machine that looks at the background electrical activity in the brain. It can tell if a baby might have a fit. This is often used for babies born at term (near their due date) who might have asphyxia (see above) and are being treated on a cooling mattress.

Chest drain A tube passed through the chest wall into the space between the lungs and the outside of the chest to drain off air or fluid leaking from the lung.

Chronic lung disease (CLD) A condition of the lung that may happen because the baby has been on a ventilator for a long time. With CLD, the baby needs more oxygen and may find breathing difficult. This can take some time to improve. CLD is also known as broncho pulmonary dysplasia (BPD, see above).

Chronological age (pronounced cron-a-lodge-ick-al) A baby's age from their date of birth.

Cooling mattress A cooling mattress is used to treat hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE, see below). The mattress cools the baby to prevent damage to the brain.

Corrected age The age a premature baby would be if they had been born on their due date.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) A type of treatment used to help a baby's breathing and helping them have fewer moments of apnoea. Using a CPAP machine, the lungs are expanded by applying a small amount of pressure (oxygen or air) through small prongs just inside the nose or by a small mask over the nose. In some cases a premature baby may be on and off CPAP for several weeks.

CT scanner This is a special type of X-ray machine that is more detailed than a normal X-ray. In babies, it is usually used to look in detail at parts of the brain or sometimes the chest.

Cyanosis (pronounced sigh-an-oh-sis) When there is not enough oxygen in the blood. It can make the skin, lips, the tongue and nails appear a blue, dusky colour.

D

Developmental care This is about making the baby's surroundings as free of stress as possible to help improve how your baby develops over time. This is done in several ways, by:

Reducing the amount of light and noise that the baby is exposed to. The staff might cover the incubator with a sheet or specially-made cover

Creating a 'nest' to nurse a baby, which makes them feel more comfortable and secure

Changing how your baby is disturbed

Massaging your baby

Involving babies in caring for their baby on the unit - for example Kangaroo Care.

Dysmorphic When the doctors and nurses see some features in a baby that are unusual. In many cases, the features turn out to be normal and cause no concern. If there is a problem, a number of tests will be carried out and, if necessary, other specialists may be asked to look at your baby and give an opinion.

Drip When fluids or blood are passed into a vein or artery using a needle or plastic tube. The word drip is sometimes used instead of Cannula.

E

Electrocardiogram (sometimes called ECG, and pronounced ee-leck-tro-car-dee-oh-gram) A test to look at the heart's electrical activity.

Electroencephalogram (sometimes called EEG and pronounced ee-leck-tro-en-seph-la-gram) A test to look at the brain's electrical activity. This is often done in a different unit of the hospital.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (sometimes called ECMO, and pronounced ex-tra-corp-or-ree-al mem-brain ox-i-gin-a-shon) This machine puts oxygen into the blood when a baby born at term is not able to do this using their heart and lungs. It might be used in very sick babies when treatment with a ventilator has not worked. As this is a special machine, babies might need to be moved to another hospital for this treatment.

Electrolytes (pronounced E-leck-tro-lites) Salts in the body (which can be measured in blood tests) that are essential for the body to work.

Endotracheal tube (sometimes called an ET tube, and pronounced en-doe-track-eel) Soft plastic tube put through the mouth or nose into the windpipe (trachea), which is attached to a ventilator to help breathing. It is often called a tracheal or ET tube.

Exchange transfusion Replacing a baby's blood with blood from an adult donor. This is done if a baby's jaundice level (see below) is very high and they are not getting better with treatment.

Expressed breast milk (EBM) Expressing breast milk means to use a pump, hands or both to get milk from the mum's breasts. The milk can be stored in a fridge or freezer or given directly to the baby.

Extremely low birthweight A baby born weighing less than 1000g.

Extubate (pronounced ex-tube-ate) Removing the endotracheal tube (see above) from the windpipe.

F

Fontanelle (pronounced fon-tan-el) Soft spots on a baby's head that disappear by 18 months, as the skull bones grow and join together.

Family-centred care This means involving families in the care of their baby on the unit. Find out moreinformation about family-centred care.

Family-integrated care This is a care model, which is an extension of the principles of family-centred care. This model can be used by neonatal units.

G

Gases and Gas monitor See 'Blood gases'.

Gestational age (pronounced jest-a-shon-al) The number of weeks the baby has been in the womb is known as the gestation. Being born at term means being born after 37 full weeks in the womb but before 42 weeks. If a baby is born before 37 weeks gestation, they are considered to be premature (sometimes called preterm by medical staff).

Glucose monitor This is a machine that can measure the amount of glucose (sugars) in the blood.

Grunting A noise made by a baby with breathing difficulty.

H

Haemoglobin (pronounced hee-ma-glow-bin) Carries oxygen around the body. It is found in the red blood cells.

Head circumference (pronounced sir-come-for-ence) Measurement of the biggest distance around the baby's head.

Heat shield Clear plastic shell placed over the baby to prevent heat loss.

Heated, humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC, or high-flow) Where warm, moist air flows into your baby's lungs through small tubes in their nose.

High dependency unit (HDU) Another way to describe the level of care babies get in a local neonatal unit. Babies who need a higher level of medical and nursing support than provided in a special care baby unit (SCBU) are cared for here.

High frequency oscillatory ventilation A type of ventilator. With most ventilators, you can see the baby's chest rise and fall at the breathing speed that has been set, which looks like regular breathing. Oscillators use very fast speeds, so the baby's chest appears to vibrate. This may look alarming, but this type of ventilation works extremely well for some of the lung conditions that babies may have.

Humidity To prevent premature babies losing too much water through their skin, they are often looked after in warm, humidified incubators. This is why there is sometimes mist on incubators. Humidity (water) is also added to the gases the baby breathes through the ventilator, CPAP or high-flow machines (see above).

Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) A breathing problem in which the lungs are stiff and collapse instead of staying filled with air. This is also known as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Hydrocephalus (pronounced high-dro-keff-al-uss) When too much fluid is present inside the parts of the brain. The increased pressure in the brain might cause the head size to increase very quickly.

Hypocalcaemia (pronounced high-po-cal-sea-me-a) A low blood calcium level.

Hypoglycaemia (pronounced high-po-gly-sea-me-a) A low blood glucose level.

Hypothermia (pronounced high-po-ther-me-a) A body temperature of below 35.5°C (95°F).

Hypoxia (pronounced high-pox-ee-a) A low amount of oxygen in the body tissues.

I

Incubator A heated bed covered by a clear plastic box that allows the baby to be kept warm without clothes so that they can be monitored very closely. Humidity and extra oxygen can be run into the incubator if needed. The levels of oxygen can be very closely controlled and monitored.

Incubator cover A special cover that is made to fit over an incubator to shield the baby from light and noise.

Infusion pump Like a syringe, and provides fluids, medicine or nutrients directly into the blood or gut. These can be given over a set period of time.

Inotrope A medicine used to support blood pressure

Intra-ventricular haemorrhage (sometimes called IVH, and pronounced in-tra-ven-trick-you-la hem-or-ridge) This is a common in premature babies where there is bleeding into the fluid chambers (ventricles) of the brain. IVHs are graded 1-4, according to their size, and are found on an ultrasound scan. Grade 1 bleeds are quite common in premature babies and tend to have no long-term consequences. Grade 4 bleeds (the biggest) means that there is bleeding into the brain tissue and may mean the baby has difficulties as they develop and grow.

Intravenous (IV) lines Fine tubes (cannula) that are sometimes put into a blood vessel - usually in a hand, foot, arm or leg - in order to give fluid or medicine directly into the blood.

Intravenous (IV) nutrition A way of supplying all the most important nutrients directly into the blood through an IV line (see above).

J

Jaundice (pronounced jawn-dis) A yellowness of the skin and/or whites of the eyes caused by a high level of bilirubin (see above) in the blood. It is very common in babies, and is caused by the normal breakdown of the baby's red blood cells. However, high levels can be dangerous and phototherapy (shining blue light onto the baby's skin) may be needed to prevent high levels.

Jejunal feeding (pronounced ju-jew-nal) Putting milk, using a special soft tube through the nostrils, into the jejunum (part of the small intestine). This is not as common as other types of tube feeding.

L

Long line This is a longer cannula that is put into a vein in the arm, leg or head, with the end of the line lying close to the heart. It is also sometimes called a central line. These lines are used to give the baby IV nutrition directly into a vein when the starting of milk feeds has to be delayed. They can also be used for medication.

Low birth weight (LBW) There are three categories of low birth weight:

Low birth weight (LBW) - a weight at birth of less than 2500g

Very low birth weight (VLBW) - a weight at birth of less than 1500g

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) - a weight at birth of less than 1000g

Low flow oxygen A way of giving small amounts of oxygen to babies

Lumbar puncture (LP) or Lumbar tap Meningitis is a very bad infection around the outside layers (called membranes) of their brain and spinal cord. If doctors are worried your baby might be getting this condition, they will take action quickly, as it can become serious. The doctor or nurse practitioner will put a small needle into one of the spaces low down in your baby's back, take some of the fluid and send it for testing. The team will offer your baby things like expressed breast milk to help ease any pain.

M

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans Scans that can give a very useful computer-generated picture of the organs inside a baby without harming them. If your baby has an MRI scan, they will be placed in a special incubator that keeps them safe and warm while inside the scanner. MRI images are very useful for checking for any brain damage, and can help see how a brain is maturing. In most hospitals, the MRI unit will be in a different part of the hospital, so the baby will need to be well enough to travel there.

Meconium (pronounced mew-co-knee-um) A dark greenish sticky solid that builds up in the baby's digestive system before they are born. It usually starts being passed as bowel movements within 24 hours after birth.

Meconium aspiration (pronounced mew-co-knee-um ass-pir-ray-shon) A baby who becomes distressed during labour and before they are born may pass meconium while they are still in the womb. If the baby then breathes the fluid which is surrounding them in, the sticky material can block part of the airways. This can cause inflammation in the lung, and mean the baby finds it hard to breathe soon after they are born.

Morphine (pronounced more-feen) A drug used to reduce the discomfort and stress that babies might experience from some of the treatments they need. It can reduce their own breathing, and so the drug is usually reduced or stopped when a baby is taken off a ventilator. If a baby has needed it for quite a long time, they might become jittery when it is stopped, due to not having the drug in their system anymore.

N

Nasal cannula (pronounced nase-al can-you-la) Small tube put into the nostrils to give a baby oxygen.

Nasogastric feeds (sometimes called NG feeds, and pronounced nase-oh-gas-trick) Nutrition fed using a fine, soft tube passed through the nose into the stomach.

Nasogastric tube (sometimes called an NG tube) A long, thin, soft plastic tube that is passed through a baby's nose into their stomach. This tube is used to give milk to a baby until they are strong enough to take milk from the breast or a bottle.

Neonate The first four weeks of a baby's life (up to 28 days).

Necrotising enterocolitis (sometimes called NEC, and pronounced neck-crot-tize-ing ent-er-co-light-is) A serious condition, where tissue in the bowel (small and large intestines) becomes inflamed. NEC can make a baby temporarily unable to take milk, and at its worst it can cause parts of the bowel to become so damaged that tissue within it dies. NEC can affect just a small part of the bowel, or sometimes the whole bowel can be affected. It is common

NICU This stands for the neonatal intensive care unit.

Nitric oxide This is normally made in the body to relax blood vessels. It means blood can flow to all parts of the body. When the blood vessels to the lungs stay narrow, nitric oxide is sometimes given in the air and oxygen given to a baby to cause them to relax and allow blood flow to the lungs.

NNU This stands for the neonatal unit.

O

Oedema (pronounced oh-deem-a) Swelling caused by too much fluid in the tissues under the skin.

Open cots When a baby can keep their own body temperature stable, they can be transferred from an incubator into a cot without a roof.

Orogastric tube A fine tube passed through the mouth and into the stomach. It is used to give milk to the baby. Sometimes this is done instead of passing the tube through the nose (see Nasogastric tube above)

Oxygen saturation This is measured by placing a special probe on the hand or foot of the baby. This can measure the amount of oxygen flowing through the baby's blood vessels. If the oxygen level drops, the alarm will alert the nurse. If the baby is moving around a lot, sometimes the reading is not lower than it actually is.

P

Parenteral nutrition Nutrition given directly into the bloodstream. It is often called total parenteral nutritionor TPN. The liquid contains sugars, proteins, fats and vitamins - everything the baby needs to grow. Parenteral feeding solutions are often given through a long line.

Patent ductus arteriosus (sometimes called PDA, and pronounced pa-tent duck-tuss art-ear-ree-oh-sis) Where the small connection between the vessels supplying the lungs with blood, and the vessels supplying blood to the body, stays open. This is a very common problem for very premature babies.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation An operation which mends a PDA (see above).

Peak Inspiratory Pressure (PIP) The pressure applied by the ventilator to inflate the lungs (breathing in).

PEEP (positive end expiratory pressure) Pressure applied during breathing out. This helps to stop the lungs from collapsing while the baby is on the ventilator (see hyaline membrane disease above).

Periodic breathing When a baby pauses breathing for up to 10 seconds.

Periventricular leukomalacia (sometimes called PVL, and pronounced perry-ven-trick-you-la luke-oh-mal-a-zee-a) This is where the brain doesn't get enough oxygen and blood flow when it is developing, and the brain cells may die and be replaced with fluid cysts. These can be seen in ultrasound scans of a baby's brain. Depending on the area affected, PVL may show possible future problems with development.

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (sometimes called persistent fetal circulation, and pronounced pur-sis-tant pul-mon-air-ree high-per-ten-shon) Before birth, the blood vessels of the lungs are narrow. If the blood vessels do not relax after birth, lungs can't get enough blood flow. Oxygen, ventilation, and sometimes nitric oxide and drugs, are given to open the narrow vessels.

pH The acidity (low pH value) or alkalinity (raised pH value) of the blood. A value close to 7.3 is normal for a baby's arterial blood (blood which comes from the heart and to the rest of the body).

Phototherapy Using blue (not ultraviolet) light to reduce the bilirubin level in babies with jaundice (see above).

Physiotherapy Special treatment to help a baby's development in their movement and behaviour. This might include advice on positioning and stretching exercises, as well as treatments for their chest.

Platelets A part of the blood that helps with clotting. If levels are low, platelets can be given in a blood transfusion.

Pneumothorax (pronounced new-mo-thor-axe) When the lung has leaked air between the lung and chest wall (rib cage). This makes it hard for the lungs to expand and take in air. The air can be removed using a chest drain (see above).

Posset When the baby brings up a small amount of milk after feeding.

Pre-eclampsia This condition is quite common in pregnancies and can cause the baby to be born prematurely. It can be dangerous, particularly if it develops quickly. The main symptoms are headaches and swollen feet, which are linked to having high blood pressure. Bed-rest can help, but sometimes the only way to stop pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby early.

Preterm baby A word used by health professionals to describe a premature baby, born before reaching 37 in the womb.

Pulse oximeter This measures oxygen saturation levels (see above).

R

Resuscitate The help given to babies (usually at birth but sometimes during their stay in the neonatal unit) when they need urgent help with their breathing and circulation.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) Damage to the retina (back) area of the eye that is sensitive to light. Premature babies and those born with a very low birth weight are at a higher risk of this condition. It is linked to the amount of oxygen in the blood reaching the retina. It is most common in premature babies born before 32 week's gestation, or babies born weighing under 1500g at birth. These babies are regularly checked for retinopathy of prematurity by a specialist ophthalmologist (a doctor who is an expert in the eyes).

Respiratory syncytial virus (sometimes called RSV, and pronounced res-pir-a-tor-ree sink-ee-tal vi-russ) This virus causes cold-like symptoms, and affects a lot of babies. can make it harder to breathe if the lungs are affected. If your baby was born prematurely, gets a lot of lung infections, or was born with a congenital heart problem, they could become more poorly than other babies if they catch RSV. Very high risk babies might be given a vaccination against the virus.

S

Saturation monitor (prounounced sat-ture-a-shon) See 'Pulse oximeter'.

Scans (ultrasound) The ultrasound scan used on the neonatal unit is similar scans done on pregnant women. The most common scan is on the brain. This is done with a small probe on the fontanelle (see above). There can be lots of reasons for doing scans, but usually it will be to monitor a premature baby's brain, as they are at risk of bleeding into the brain. Other parts of the body that might need ultrasound scanning are the tummy or the heart. A scan of the heart is often called an echocardiograph, shortened to an 'echo'.

SCBU This stands for special care baby unit.

Small for gestational age (SGA) A baby whose birth weight is lower than that of 90% of babies of the same gestational age (see above).

Sleep study This is a test done on babies who have been on oxygen for a long time. It is often done a short time before the baby is due to go home. The test sees whether the baby can keep their own oxygen levels in a safe range. If the baby is to going to go home on oxygen, then the test is used to set the amount of oxygen that the baby will need. Usually the sleep study will happen over a period of 12 hours and must include a period when the baby is in quiet sleep, as this is the time that the body's oxygen levels are usually at their lowest.

Steroids Steroids (or corticosteriods) are used in several ways. They can be:

Given to mums before the baby is born, when the birth seems likely to happen early. The drug crosses the placenta and causes the baby's lungs to mature, ready for breathing.

Given in the first week or so after birth to babies getting intensive care, to improve the blood pressure in babies with very low blood pressure, where other medication is not working

Given to babies with chronic lung disease (see above), as it may be difficult for the baby to come off the breathing machine. Low doses of steroids can reduce any inflammation (swelling) in the lung.

Stridor A harsh noise made by a baby on breathing in, because of a blockage in the upper airway.

Surfactant (pronounced sir-fact-ant) A mixture of chemicals that stop the lungs from collapsing when the baby breathes out. The lungs start making this at about 24 weeks' gestation, but is not well developed before 36 weeks'. This can be the cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS - see above). Replacement surfactant can be given as a liquid into the lungs of the premature baby soon after birth.

Syringe driver See infusion pump above.

T

Tachycardia (pronounced tack-ee-card-ee-ya) A rapid heartbeat. Sometimes health professionals might say a baby is 'tachy' if they have a fast heart rate.

Tachypnoea (pronounced tack-ip-knee-a) Rapid breathing rate.

Temperature skin probe A small device that is put on the skin to measure the baby's temperature.

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) See 'Parenteral Nutrition' above.

Transcutaneous monitors (pronounced trans-cue-tain-ee-uss) This is a monitoring device that is put on the skin to measure the blood oxygen or carbon dioxide levels.

Transient tachypnoea of the newborn (TTN).

This affects babies born at term. In the womb, babies have their lungs full of fluid (amniotic fluid) which is very important for lung growth. When they are born, the baby takes a few deep breaths and pushes the fluid out into their circulation. If the baby does not take enough deep breaths, the lungs keep some of the fluid.

Transport incubators This is a special incubator that is used if the baby needs to be transferred to another hospital or a different part of the hospital. to another hospital or a different part of the hospital.

Trophic feeds Very small volume tube feeds that are given to prepare the gut at the start of feeding.

Tube feeding When the baby is fed through a small, fine tube that runs from the nose or mouth straight into the stomach. It is mainly used when a baby is too unwell or premature to feed by themselves.

U

Ultrasound scan See 'Scans' above.

Umbilical catheter A plastic tube put through one an umbilical artery or vein. A catheter in the artery is used to take blood samples and to measure blood pressure. A catheter in the vein is used to give fluids and drugs.

V

Ventilation is mechanical support with breathing, so that the baby will be able to have normal levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in their blood when unable to achieve them for themselves. There are several different types of ventilation.

Ventricle (cardiac) - pronounced ven-trick-al

The pumping chamber of the heart.

Ventricle (brain) Space within the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid (see above). This is where bleeding most commonly occurs in premature babies (see intra-ventricular haemorrhage above).

Ventricular tap (pronounced ven-trick-you-la) After an intra-ventricular haemorrhage (see above) a quick build-up of cerebrospinal fluid may happen, causing the head to grow too quickly (hydrocephalus, see above). This can be temporarily treated by putting a needle through the fontanelle (see above) and taking out some of the excess cerebrospinal fluid.
Ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt (pronounced ven-trick-you-lo perry-ton-eel)
This is a tube with one end put into the ventricles in the brain, and the other into the abdominal cavity (in the tummy) to drain cerebrospinal fluid. This is used as a treatment for hydrocephalus (see above).

Very low birth weight (VLBW) A baby born that is less than 1500g.

Vital signs monitor A monitor that measures important signs like blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels.

Vitamin K A naturally-occurring vitamin that is important for the clotting of blood. Newborn babies often don't have enough vitamin K and are given it to stop them from bleeding too much.

The information in this section is due for review November 2025

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Words you might hear on the neonatal unit | Bliss

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This page contains a guide to help you understand some of the common words and terms you might hear while on a neonatal unit.

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We hear from parents that the equipment on the neonatal unit can seem overwhelming when you first arrive.

In this page, we explain what some of the equipment looks like and what it does.

The NICU was a room that never slept - it was a sensory overload. It's crazy that today, at one year old, Leo's favourite things are flashing lights and saying 'beep'.

Destiny, mum to Leo

You might not have had any time with your baby after they were born and before they went to the unit.

Many parents tell us that seeing their baby in the incubator and attached to wires makes them feel distanced from them. There can also be sounds from equipment which can seem alarming at first. This can feel very upsetting.

Some parents find it helpful to know what the equipment does and how it helps to monitor and provide support for their baby. If you are ever unsure about the equipment used for your baby, ask the neonatal team - they will be happy to explain.

Incubators are clear boxes which help keep your baby warm. Premature or sick babies can struggle to stay warm on their own.

Some incubators are closed boxes with hand holes on the side. This helps keep the heat and humidity in the incubator, stopping too much moisture evaporating from your baby's fine skin.

Other incubators have open tops and an overhead heater or heated mattresses.

The temperature is controlled in two ways - either with controls or using an automatic sensor on your baby's skin. If the sensor falls off or is not working properly, an alarm sounds, and a nurse will check the temperature of the incubator.

Ventilators and breathing machines

Before your baby was born, they received all the oxygen they needed from their birth parent. The oxygen in the birth parent's blood passes across the placenta and into the umbilical cord (the cord that connects the baby to the placenta and which is cut at birth).

Once they are born, babies get their oxygen by breathing. If a baby is born prematurely or with a medical condition, they may struggle to breathe by themselves. Premature babies' lungs in particular might not be developed enough to manage breathing by themselves yet.

Depending on what your baby needs, they might be put on a machine called a ventilator - this helps your baby to breathe.

There are two types of basic ventilator:

Ventilators: These blow air with or without added oxygen (depending on what your baby needs) gently into your baby's lungs through a tube which is passed through their nose or mouth. This inflates your baby's lungs and is adjusted depending on what your baby needs.

High frequency oscillating ventilators: These blow small amounts of air, with or without added oxygen, (depending on what your baby needs) into the lungs very quickly, hundreds of times a minute. Your baby's chest will look like it is vibrating. This might look worrying, but it can work very well for some kinds of lung conditions.

Other breathing machines can include:

Continuous positive airway pressure (often shortened to 'CPAP')
These blow air, with or without oxygen, (depending on what your baby needs) through two thin tubes in your baby's nose, or through a small mask over their nose. CPAP slightly raises the pressure of the air, which helps keep your baby's lungs inflated.

Non-invasic positive pressure ventilations (also called BiPap)
This is given through a mask or a small tube in your baby's nose and helps to regulate their breathing.

Heated, humidified high-flow nasal cannula (also called 'high-flow' or 'optiflow')
Some babies need help with their breathing but do not need something as strong as a ventilator. High-flow is where warm, moist air with or without oxygen (depending on what your baby needs) flows into your baby's lungs through small tubes in their nose.

Endotracheal (pronounced en-doe-track-eel) tube

This is put down your baby's windpipe (called a trachea by health professionals) if they are on a ventilator. It is either put in through your baby's nose or mouth. It is the tube which passes the air into your baby's lungs from the ventilator.

Vital signs monitor

These machines pick up electrical signals given out from your baby's heart, and always check that it is beating properly. They can also pick up changes in your baby's breathing. These monitors pick up these signals through small pads put on your baby's chest. Wires run from the pads to the monitoring machine.

Oxygen saturation monitor

These monitors check the amount of oxygen in your baby's blood, by shining a light through their skin. The sensors are strapped gently to your baby's foot or hand.

Intravenous (pronounced in-tra-vee-nus, and sometimes shortened to IV) drip

Your baby might have thin tubes (sometimes called IVs, drips or cannulae) put into a tiny blood vessel. The IV is usually put in a hand, foot, arm or leg. Sometimes the staff might have to use one of the tiny veins on the surface of your baby's head. These tubes are there to give fluids or medication, like antibiotics.

Feeding tube

If your baby can't feed by themselves yet, they might be able to have breast milk or formula through a tube that goes down their mouth or nose and into their stomach. Doctors might use a nasogastric (pronounced nase-oh-gas-trick) or orogastric (pronounced or-oh-gas-trick) tube.

For more information about feeding, visit our page about being a parent on the neonatal unit.

As soon as you know what all the machinery does, and why they beep and alarm, you will feel more comfortable in this unfamiliar place. Ask questions - no one will judge you.

Annie, mum to Alfie

Umbilical catheter (pronounced umm-bill-like-al cath-it-er)

These long, soft tubes are put into the blood vessels in your baby's belly button. Umbilical catheters are mostly used in the first few days after birth.

There are two types - one goes into an artery (blood vessels which carry blood full of oxygen from the heart and to the rest of the body) and is used to measure blood pressure and to take blood samples to check levels of certain important gases.

The other kind goes into a vein (smaller blood vessels which take blood with less oxygen back to the heart) and gives your baby nutrition or medicine. These catheters can have one or more tubes, allowing for different tests to be taken at the same time and avoiding disturbing your baby.

Long lines

These are very thin tubes passed into one of your baby's larger veins. Long lines are often used for giving nutrition an certain medication. Placing these can be a fiddly procedure if your baby is very small, but it is non-invasive.

The procedure might be done in a sterile environment to protect your baby from infections, where you may not be able to join. Your care team will explain all of this to you.

Phototherapy lamp or light blanket

If your baby has jaundice, they may be treated with blue light lamps (called 'phototherapy lamps') or a special light blanket (called a 'bili-blanket'). Jaundice (pronounced 'jawn-diss') is the name for yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

It is very common for newborn babies to get jaundice. In most cases it is harmless and goes away without needing treatment by the time your baby is about two weeks old.

For more information about jaundice, visit our page about jaundice.

The information in this section is due for review November 2025

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We hear from parents that the equipment on the neonatal unit can seem overwhelming when you first arrive. In this page, we explain what some of the equipment looks like and what it does.

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Thames Valley and Wessex ODN

The Thames Valley and Wessex (TVW) neonatal ODN covers an area where there are approximately 60,000 births each year. Across TVW there are 13 acute trusts and 14 hospitals delivering neonatal care.

The ODN area is not coterminous with commissioning areas, Local Maternity Neonatal Systems (LMNS) or even Trusts, as neonatal pathways cross boundaries.

Milton Keynes General Hospital sits within the East of England commissioning footprint however the neonatal clinical pathway for tertiary level care is Oxford that sits within the TVW ODN.

Salisbury, Dorchester and Poole sit in the south west commissioning hub, but have tertiary care and neonatal surgical pathways that flow into Southampton so sit within TVW ODN.

Wexham Park and St Richards, Chichester sit in TVW ODN but other neonatal units within their Trusts (Frimley Park and Worthing) have neonatal tertiary care pathways that sit in KSS neonatal ODN.

Neonatal surgical pathways are within the ODN with a neonatal surgical centre at Oxford and neonatal surgical and cardiac surgical centre at Southampton. TVW ODN is also the provider of choice for babies from the Channel Islands for a small number of babies who often have extended periods of neonatal care prior to repatriation due to geographical and local island care restraints.

TVW neonatal transport is provided by the Southampton Oxford Neonatal Transport service (SONeT), a dedicated team of specialist neonatal nurses and doctors. You can find out more about the service on the SONeT website.

Kent Surrey and Sussex ODN

The Kent Surrey and Sussex ODN supported by NHS England (NHSE) is hosted by Medway NHS Foundation Trust. There are 13 neonatal units in the network working collaboratively to provide care for our babies and their families.

The ODN area is not coterminous with commissioning areas, Local Maternity Neonatal systems (LMNS) or even Trusts as neonatal pathways cross boundaries.

Frimley Health Foundation Trust has 2 local neonatal units, Frimley Park which sits in KSS network and Wexham Park which sits in TVW network. They have different tertiary centre pathways within their own ODN.

University Hospitals Sussex has 1 NICU and 3 SCU all of which sit in KSS apart from St Richards Hospital in Chichester which sits in the TVW network and has tertiary pathways within TVW.

Neonatal surgery is provided within the ODN at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and also externally at St George's Hospital, Evelina Hospital, King's College Hospital and Southampton University Hospital.

KSS neonatal transport is provided by a dedicated team of specialist neonatal nurses and doctors. You can find out more about the service on our Transport Service webpage.

Structure and Governance

Each network has a formal governance and accountability structure. The networks regularly report to NHS England to monitor service and clinical quality against national standards, and the progress of agreed national, regional and local programmes of work.

We are committed to working in partnership with parents, families and staff to deliver, develop and improve neonatal services across the region. The parent voice is embedded within our networks with the inclusion of a Parent & Family Engagement Lead within each network team. The network Parent Advisory Groups are also pivotal in providing service user insight into projects, workstreams and guidance.

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Who we are - Neonatal Network South East

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The Thames Valley and Wessex (TVW) neonatal ODN covers an area where there are approximately 60,000 births each year. Across TVW there are 13 acute trusts and 14 hospitals delivering neonatal care. The ODN area is not coterminous with commissioning areas, Local Maternity Neonatal Systems (LMNS) or even Trusts, as neonatal pathways cross boundaries.

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Special care baby unit (SCBU, SCU or low dependency) - Level 1

This is for babies who do not need intensive care. Often, this will be for babies born after 32 weeks' gestation.

Care can include:

Monitoring their breathing or heart rate

Giving them more oxygen

Treating low body temperature

Treating low blood sugar

Helping them feed, sometimes by using a tube

Helping babies who become unwell soon after birth

Sometimes, a baby might be admitted to a special care baby unit for phototherapy to treat jaundice. But sometimes, this condition is treated in transitional or postnatal care (see above).

Local neonatal unit (LNU) - Level 2

This is for babies who need a higher level of medical and nursing support. If your baby was, or will be, born between 27 and 31 weeks' gestation, you may be transferred to an LNU.

Care on an LNU might include:

Short-term intensive care (usually up to 48 hours)

Short-term ventilation, continuous positive airway pressure (called CPAP) or high flow therapy, for breathing support

Care during periods where their breathing pauses briefly, called 'apnoea' (pronounced ap-knee-ya)

Feeding through a drip in their vein (called parenteral nutrition)

Cooling treatment for babies who have had difficult births or are unwell soon after birth (before being transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit - see below)

Helping babies who become unwell soon after birth

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - Level 3

This is for babies with the highest need for support lasting more than 48 hours. Often these babies will have been born before 28 weeks' gestation, or be very unwell after birth.

You might have been transferred to a different hospital which has a neonatal intensive care unit before your baby was born. This is usually because the staff feel your baby would benefit from this level of care, but that it is safer to transfer your baby before they are born.

Some of the reasons babies are cared for here are when they:

Need help with their breathing (called ventilation)

Need help with their heartbeat and blood pressure

Have a moderate to severe condition affecting their breathing (called respiratory distress)

Need longer-term feeding support through an intravenous (intra-venus) tube or general nutritional support

Need or have just had surgery - including cooling treatment for brain injuries

At a neonatal intensive care unit, all levels of care may also be given to babies from the local area.

Our friends at the Cambridge University Hospitals Trust and Rosie Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership have made a video about NICU, especially aimed at big brothers and sisters that helps to explain what NICU is.

I'm confused by the different levels of neonatal care

It can be confusing to understand your baby's level of care.

Sometimes babies might be treated in different types of units because their condition has changed. It might not be clear straight away what type of care your baby is getting.

For example, your baby could be in a neonatal intensive care unit, but getting special care. You can always ask the staff if you want more information about the level of care your baby is getting.

You might hear staff on the unit call the different levels of care by different names than we've used here. Have a look through our neonatal words for some other ways people talk about levels of care.

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It can be confusing to understand your baby's level of care. Here, we talk about the different levels of care neonatal units provide.

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you think you or your child have missed any vaccinations

you or your child have a vaccination appointment - but you've missed it or cannot attend

Your GP surgery can book or rearrange an appointment.

It's best to have vaccines on time, but you can still catch up on most vaccines if you miss them.

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A full list of the routine vaccinations offered on the NHS and when they should be given.

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Our vision

Our vision is that any parent or carer, wherever they are, has information on their child's medicines that they can trust.

What we offer

Our medicines information pages cover many of the medicines that are prescribed or recommended for children by health professionals. They answer frequent questions, such as how and when to give the medicine, what to do if you forget to give the medicine, and any possible side-effects.

You can also read information or watch our short videos about giving different types of medicines, including tablets, capsules, liquid medicine, inhalers, eye drops/ointment and ear drops.

Who are we?

Medicines for Children is a partnership programme of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group (NPPG) and WellChild. Read more about us and our work.

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Medicines For Children - We provide practical and reliable advice about giving medicine to your child

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Our vision is that any parent or carer, wherever they are, has information on their child's medicines that they can trust. Our medicines information pages cover many of the medicines that are prescribed or recommended for children by health professionals.

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If your baby is going to be going home on oxygen he/she will need a sleep study to confirm the oxygen they are in is safe for them to go home. Once stable on a flow of nasal cannula oxygen your baby will have a 12 hour period of saturation monitoring which reviews how many desaturations they may have over a period of sleep.

During the study it will be documented and desaturations and events that have happened and why. Once downloaded the Doctors will review and look at the time in range and what significant desaturations may have happened.

Some babies will need their oxygen increased and then a sleep study will be repeated in 48 hours after this change.

Once they have passed the study nurses and doctors may start to ask you questions and for you to consent to having oxygen in your home. The oxygen is then ordered and the company will contact you to arrange insulation.

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Guidance on a car seat for your baby

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Children must normally use a child car seat until they're 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first.

Children over 12 or more than 135cm tall must wear a seat belt.

You can choose a child car seat based on your child's height or weight.

Height-based seats

Height-based seats are known as 'i-Size' seats. They must be rear-facing until your child is over 15 months old. Your child can use a forward-facing child car seat when they're over 15 months old.

You must check the seat to make sure it's suitable for the height of your child.

Only EU-approved height-based child car seats can be used in the UK. These have a label showing a capital 'E' in a circle and 'R129'.

Weight-based seats

The seat your child can use (and the way they must be restrained in it) depends on their weight.

Only EU-approved weight-based child car seats can be used in the UK. These have a label showing a capital 'E' in a circle and 'ECE R44'.

You may be able to choose from more than one type of seat in the group for your child's weight.

0kg to 10kg

0

Lie-flat or 'lateral' baby carrier, rear-facing baby carrier, or rear-facing baby seat using a harness

0kg to 13kg

0+

Rear-facing baby carrier or rear-facing baby seat using a harness

9kg to 18kg

1

Rear- or forward-facing baby seat using a harness or safety shield

15kg to 25kg

2

Rear- or forward-facing child car seat (high-backed booster seat or booster cushion) using a seat belt, harness or safety shield

22kg to 36kg

3

Rear- or forward-facing child car seat (high-backed booster seat or booster cushion) using a seat belt, harness or safety shield

Manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3. This won't affect any existing booster cushions in group 2 and you'll still be able to use them.

Fitting a child car seat

You must only use a child car seat if your car's seat belt has a diagonal strap, unless the seat is either:

specifically designed for use with a lap seat belt

fitted using ISOFIX anchor points

You must also:

deactivate any front airbags before fitting a rear-facing baby seat in a front seat

not fit a child car seat in side-facing seats

Children with disabilities or medical conditions

The same rules apply for children with disabilities or medical conditions, but they can use a disabled person's seat belt or a child restraint designed for their needs.

A doctor can issue an exemption certificate if a child is unable to use a restraint or seat belt because of their condition.

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The rules for child car seats and booster seats - height, weight, age, type of vehicle, car, minibus, licensed taxi

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A car seat challenge may be needed if your baby has:

cleft

facial deformities

oxygen at discharge

any baby under 2kg

All babies with congenital heart disease

Any baby with abnormal neurology.

A car seat challenge is to make sure your baby is safe for their journey home and when you are out and about in the car.

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ICON offers advice and support for you and your new born

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Babies cry, you can cope When babies cry it can be stressful and overwhelming. Help is out there and all you need to do is ask. Latest news Testimonials

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Warning :

This video demonstrates Resuscitation Training.

However, please speak to a member of your local Neonatal Team to arrange a face to face training session.

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Before you leave the neonatal unit, a trained doctor or nurse will show you how to resuscitate your baby if they stop breathing.

The thought of having to resuscitate your baby can be very scary, and is something that no parent or carer ever wants to have to do or think about. But the training is designed to help you be as prepared as possible.

Research suggests that learning how to resuscitate your baby could help increase your confidence and reduce any anxiety you may have.

If your baby stops breathing, it is important to stay calm and call 999; the emergency call handler will help. If you need to perform CPR on your baby, the call handler will talk you through the process until the ambulance arrives.

We have more information on what to do if you think your baby is becoming unwell.

We are currently reviewing our resuscitation video and will upload the new version later this year. Until then, our friends at the St John's Ambulance have an instructional video about what to do if your baby stops breathing.

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Having resuscitation training can help you be more prepared to care for your premature or sick baby after leaving the neonatal unit.

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A short video to explain getting ready to go home with your little one.

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A Stay in Neonatal Care - Preparing to Take Your Baby Home

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Information for parents about eye screening for premature babies

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Screening for retinopathy of prematurity - information for parents and carers

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You have been given this leaflet because your baby was born at less than 31 weeks of pregnancy (very premature birth) or had a birthweight under 1501 grams and is at risk of developing ROP. It will give you more information about ROP, clarify what happens during screening and how you can support your baby and explain what happens after screening.

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Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. In this information, the word ‘we’ refers to the NHS service that provides screening.

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Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. In this information, the word 'we' refers to the NHS service that provides screening.

This short video explains screening for eyes, heart, hips and testes in newborn babies.
Newborn and infant physical examination video
The newborn physical examination is recommended by the NHS.

1. Purpose of screening

Within 72 hours of giving birth, you will be offered a top-to-toe physical examination for your baby. This will include 4 specific screening tests to find out whether your baby has a suspected problem with their eyes, heart, hips or, in boys, their testes which would benefit from early investigation and possible treatment.

The screening tests are carried out again between 6 and 8 weeks of age as some conditions do not develop or become apparent until then.

2. About the conditions

Each part of the physical examination is looking for different conditions.

About 2 or 3 in 10,000 babies have problems with their eyes that need treatment. The examination checks the appearance and movement of the eyes. The main reason for screening is to identify a condition called cataracts (a clouding of the transparent lens inside the eye). The examination cannot tell how well your baby can see.

Around 8 per 1,000 babies will have a heart problem or condition. This could range from a heart murmur to a problem needing specialist care or treatment. A murmur is a noise made by the blood as it passes through the heart. In almost all cases when a murmur is heard, the heart is normal. Murmurs are common in babies and this does not always mean there is a problem.

Babies can be born with hip joints that are not formed properly and if untreated this can lead to a limp and to joint problems. About 1 or 2 in 1,000 babies have hip problems that need treatment.

Baby boys are checked to make sure their testes are in the right place. It can take several months for testes to drop down (descend) into the scrotum. About 1 in 100 baby boys have problems with undescended testes that need treatment to reduce the risk of problems later in life, such as reduced fertility.

3. The screening test

A trained health professional will carry out a physical examination of your baby and ask you questions about your baby's general wellbeing.

Your baby will need to be undressed for part of the examination. During the examination the health professional will:

look into your baby's eyes focusing on how their eyes look and move

listen to their heart using a stethoscope to detect heart sounds

examine their hips to ensure the joints are working properly

examine baby boys to check if their testes are in the right place

These screening tests are carried out within 72 hours of birth and again when your baby is between 6 and 8 weeks of age.

4. Safety of the test

There are no risks associated with having this test.

5. Screening is your choice

The examination is intended to identify any of the problems early so that treatment can be started as soon as possible.

The general physical examination including this screening is therefore recommended for your baby.

6. Not having the test

You can decide to have your baby examined and screened for any or all of the conditions. If you have any concerns you should discuss them with your midwife and the health professional who offers the examination.

7. Possible results

Usually there will be nothing of concern found. If the health professional finds a possible problem, your baby will be referred for further assessment and tests if appropriate.

8. Getting my results

The health professional carrying out the examination will give you the results straight away. If a referral for further assessment is needed, this will also be discussed with you at the time of the examination.

The results will be recorded in your baby's case notes and personal child health record ('red book'). You will need to keep this record safe and make sure it is available whenever your baby sees a health professional.

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Eyes, heart, hips and testes (physical examination)

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Public Health England (PHE) created this information on behalf of the NHS. In this information, the word 'we' refers to the NHS service that provides screening. This short video explains screening for eyes, heart, hips and testes in newborn babies. Newborn and infant physical examination video The newborn physical examination is recommended by the NHS.

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This information was created on behalf of the NHS. In this information, the word 'we' refers to the NHS service that provides screening.

This short video explains blood spot screening in newborn babies.
Newborn blood spot video
Blood spot screening is recommended by the NHS.

1. Purpose of screening

To find out if your baby has any of 9 rare but serious health conditions.

Early treatment can improve your baby's health and prevent severe disability or even death. If you, the baby's father, or a family member already has one of these conditions, please tell your health professional straight away.

2. About these conditions

2.1 Sickle cell disease

About 1 in 2,800 babies born in the UK has a sickle cell disease ( SCD). These are serious, inherited blood diseases. They affect haemoglobin, a part of the blood that carries oxygen around the body. Babies who have SCD will need specialist care throughout their lives.

People with SCD can have attacks of severe pain, get serious, life-threatening infections and are usually anaemic (their bodies have difficulty carrying oxygen). Babies with SCD can receive early treatment, including vaccinations and antibiotics, which, along with support from their parents, will help prevent serious illness and allow them to live a healthier life.

2.2 Cystic fibrosis

About 1 in 2,500 babies born in the UK has cystic fibrosis ( CF). This inherited condition affects the digestion and lungs. Babies with CF may not gain weight well and frequently have chest infections. Babies with CF can be treated early with a high-energy diet, medicines and physiotherapy. Although children with CF may still become very ill, early treatment can help them live longer, healthier lives.

2.3 Congenital hypothyroidism

About 1 in 2,000 babies born in the UK has congenital hypothyroidism ( CHT). Babies with CHT do not have enough of the hormone thyroxine. Without thyroxine babies do not grow properly and they can develop permanent serious physical problems and learning disabilities.

Babies with CHT can be treated early with thyroxine tablets and this will allow them to develop normally.

It is important to let your health professional know if you have a family history of a metabolic condition. Babies are screened for 6 inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs).

These are:

phenylketonuria (PKU)

medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)

maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)

isovaleric acidaemia (IVA)

glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1)

homocystinuria (pyridoxine unresponsive) (HCU)

About 1 in 10,000 babies born in the UK has PKU or MCADD. The other conditions are rarer, occurring in 1 in 150,000 babies to 1 in 300,000 babies.

Babies with these inherited conditions cannot process certain substances in their food. Without treatment babies with some of these conditions can become suddenly and seriously ill. The symptoms of the conditions are different; some may be life threatening or lead to severe developmental problems.

They can all be treated by a carefully managed diet, which is different for each condition and may include additional medicines.

3. The screening test

When your baby is 5 days old the health professional will prick your baby's heel using a special device to collect some drops of blood onto a card. Occasionally this may be later than 5 days. The heel prick may be uncomfortable and your baby may cry. You can help by making sure your baby is warm and comfortable, and by cuddling and feeding them.

Sometimes, a second blood spot sample is required later on. If so, the reason will be explained. It does not necessarily mean there is something wrong with your baby.

4. Safety of the test

There are no known risks to your baby associated with having the test.

5. Screening is your choice

Screening your baby for all these conditions is recommended because it could save your baby's life but it is not compulsory. You can choose to have screening for SCD, CF or CHT individually but can only choose to have screening for all 6 IMDs or none at all. If you do not want your baby screened for any of the conditions or have any concerns about the test, please talk to your midwife.

Early screening is best as treatment can be started as soon as possible if needed. But if you choose not to have screening, your baby can have the test later if you change your mind. Babies can be screened up to 12 months of age for all the conditions except CF (only up to 8 weeks of age).

6. Possible results

Most babies will have normal results indicating that it is unlikely that they have any of the conditions. A small number of babies will screen positive for one of the conditions. This does not mean they have the condition but they are more likely to have it. They will be referred to a specialist for further tests.

Screening for cystic fibrosis finds some babies who may be genetic carriers of the condition. These babies may need further testing. Screening does not detect all carriers.

Occasionally, other medical conditions might be identified through these screening tests. For example, babies with beta thalassaemia major (a serious blood disease) will usually be detected. These children also need to be referred for lifelong treatment and care.

Screening for sickle cell disease also finds babies who are genetic carriers of these or other red blood cell diseases. Carriers are healthy although they can experience some problems in situations where their bodies might not get enough oxygen, for example, if they are having an anaesthetic.

7. Getting my results

You should receive the results from a health professional by the time your baby is 6 weeks old. The results should be recorded in your baby's personal child health record ('red book'). Please keep this safe and bring it with you to any further appointments. You will be contacted sooner if there is thought to be any problem with your baby.

8. My baby's blood spot card and data after screening

After screening blood spot cards are stored for at least 5 years and may be used:

to check the result or for other tests recommended by your doctor

to improve the screening programme

for research to help improve the health of babies and their families in the UK (this will not identify your baby and you will not be contacted)

In addition, there is a small chance that researchers may want to invite you or your child to take part in information gathering linked to the newborn blood spot screening programme. Researchers undertaking any additional studies would explain what is being done and you would then be asked if you wish to take part in that study. Please let your midwife know if you do not want to be contacted to discuss taking part in any additional information gathering.

All use of the blood spots is governed by the code of practice. Any research will have been approved by an independent research ethics committee.

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This information was created on behalf of the NHS. In this information, the word 'we' refers to the NHS service that provides screening. This short video explains blood spot screening in newborn babies. Newborn blood spot video Blood spot screening is recommended by the NHS.

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The screening tests that are offered to you and your baby

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The screening tests that are offered to you and your baby

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STFYAYB provides information about the screening tests offered during and after pregnancy.

Details

This information is about the screening tests you will be offered during your pregnancy and after your baby is born. It explains the different types of test and what the tests are looking for.

Easy read versions of this leaflet are available. Additional information is also available for parents of babies who are in a special care baby unit, neonatal intensive care unit or paediatric intensive care unit.

We hope this advice will help prepare you for discussions with your midwife or doctor so that you can ask the questions that are important to you.

It is your decision whether or not to have any of the tests described.

In this publication, we use the terms 'woman' and 'women' to refer to anyone able to become pregnant, including trans men. Trans men who are pregnant should be offered the same antenatal and newborn screening tests as other pregnant individuals.

The information is available in 12 other languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Somali and Urdu.

See how to print digital leaflets if you want to print any sections of this guidance.

Free printed copies of this leaflet are also provided for local screening providers to give to women who cannot access the internet. Screening services can view the full PDF of the printed leaflet and order printed copies on the APS online ordering portal (requires login).

Contact the screening helpdesk with any queries about this publication, making sure you include its full title.

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Screening tests for you and your baby (STFYAYB)

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STFYAYB provides information about the screening tests offered during and after pregnancy.

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This links to the NHS guidance on how to administer medication to babies and children

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Medicines are not always needed for minor illnesses like coughs and colds in children.
If your child does need a medicine, it's important they have one that's right for their age and you know how to give it to them safely.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen for babies and children

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are safe for treating pain and a high temperature in babies and children. Both are available as liquid medicines for young children.

It's best to choose a sugar-free version. Medicines that contain sugar can harm your child's teeth.

Make sure you get the right strength for your child's age and check the label for the correct dose. Or you can ask a pharmacist for advice.

It's a good idea to keep one or both medicines stored in a safe place at home.

At what age can I give my baby paracetamol or ibuprofen?

You can give paracetamol to children aged 2 months or older for pain or fever.

You can give ibuprofen to children who are aged 3 months or older and who weigh more than 5kg (11lb).

If your child has asthma, get advice from a GP or pharmacist before giving them ibuprofen.

Do not give aspirin to children under 16 unless it's prescribed by a doctor. It's been linked with a rare but dangerous illness called Reye's syndrome.

If you're breastfeeding, ask your health visitor, midwife or GP for advice before taking aspirin.
Read more about breastfeeding and medicines

Antibiotics for children

Children do not often need antibiotics. Most childhood infections are caused by viruses. Antibiotics only treat illnesses caused by bacteria, not viruses.

If your child is prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection, they may seem better after 2 or 3 days. But it's important to always finish the whole course to make sure all the bacteria are killed off.

If you do not finish the whole course, the infection is more likely to come back. It also increases the risk of the bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Antibiotics work best if they are given at regular intervals. Giving them to your child at the same times each day may help you to remember.

Giving medicine to your child

Make sure you know how much and how often to give a medicine. Recording it in your child's Personal Child Health Record (PCHR, or red book) may help you remember.

Always read the label on the bottle, and stick to the recommended dose. If in doubt, check with a pharmacist, health visitor or GP.

Most medicines for young children come with a special measure called an oral syringe.

This helps you measure small doses of medicine more accurately. It also makes it easier to give the medicine to your child.

If you're not sure, your health visitor or pharmacist can explain how to use the syringe.

You can also watch a video from Great Ormond Street Hospital showing how to use an oral syringe.

Never use a kitchen teaspoon to give your baby or child medicine, because they come in different sizes.

Children and side effects from medicine

The leaflet that comes with a medicine will list any possible side effects.

If you think your child is reacting to a medicine - for example, with a rash or diarrhoea - speak to a GP, health visitor or pharmacist. In the evenings or at weekends you can call NHS 111.

Keep a note of the medicine's name in your child's red book for future reference.

Can you get over-the-counter children's medicines for free?

Some pharmacies run what's known as a minor ailment scheme for specific ailments, such as coughs and colds and diarrhoea and vomiting.

When pharmacies provide medicines as part of a minor ailment scheme, you get the medicines on the NHS. You will not pay a prescription charge for children under 16.

Not all pharmacies offer a minor ailment scheme, and the ailments covered by the scheme vary from area to area.

Children's medicine safety tips

Always check the expiry date - if you have any medicines at home that are out of date or your child no longer needs them, take them to a pharmacist to dispose of safely.

Never give your child medicines that have been bought or prescribed for someone else.

Always keep medicines out of your child's reach and out of sight.

Ask a pharmacist about storing the medicine - some need to be kept in the fridge or out of direct sunlight.

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Medicines are not always needed for minor illnesses like coughs and colds in children. If your child does need a medicine, it's important they have one that's right for their age and you know how to give it to them safely. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are safe for treating pain and a high temperature in babies and children.

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All adults, children and babies experience illnesses. We become protected from infections by either catching them or through vaccination.

Babies and young children get more colds than adults as their resistance to infections builds up over time. For babies born premature or sick, the risk of complications can be higher.

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All adults, children and babies experience illnesses. We become protected from infections by either catching them or through vaccination. Babies and young children get more colds than adults as their resistance to infections builds up over time. For babies born premature or sick, the risk of...

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When babies cry it can be overwhelming, help is out there and all you need to do is ask.

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Helpful tips on how to sooth your baby and know when to get extra help.

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All babies cry, and some more than others. Crying is your baby's way of telling you they need comfort and care.
Sometimes it's easy to work out what they want, and sometimes it's not.

The most common reasons for crying are:

hunger

a dirty or wet nappy

tiredness

wanting a cuddle

wind

being too hot or too cold

boredom

overstimulation

There may be times of the day when your baby tends to cry a lot and cannot be comforted. Early evening is the most common time for this to happen.

This can be hard for you, as it's often the time when you're most tired and least able to cope.

The amount babies cry tends to peak when they're around 4 to 8 weeks old, then gradually tail off.

How to calm a crying baby

Try some of the following ways to comfort your baby. Some may work better than others:

If you're breastfeeding, let your baby suckle at your breast.

Having some gentle noise in the background may help distract your baby.

Some older babies like to use a bit of cloth or a blanket as a comforter.

Hold your baby or put them in a sling so they're close to you. Move about gently, sway and dance, talk to them and sing.

Rock your baby backwards and forwards in the pram, or go out for a walk or a drive. But limit how long your baby sleeps in a car seat to up to 30 minutes for newborns and up to 2 hours for babies. Even if they wake up again when you stop, at least you'll have had a break.

Find something for them to listen to or look at. This could be music on the radio, a CD, a rattle, or a mobile above the cot.

Try stroking your baby's back firmly and rhythmically, holding them against you or lying face downwards on your lap.

Undress your baby and massage them gently and firmly. Avoid using any oils or lotions until your baby's at least a month old. Talk soothingly as you do it and keep the room warm enough. Some health centres and clinics run baby massage courses. For information, ask your midwife or health visitor.

Try a warm bath. This calms some babies instantly, but makes others cry even more.

Sometimes too much rocking and singing can keep your baby awake. You might find lying them down after a feed will help.

Ask your health visitor for advice.

Crying during feeds

Some babies cry and seem unsettled around the time of a feed. If you're breastfeeding, you may find that improving your baby's positioning and attachment helps them settle.

You can go to a breastfeeding drop-in group and ask for help if there's one available in your local area.

The Breastfeeding Network's website can provide information on the nearest group to you.

You can also ask your health visitor for advice.

Crying during feeds can sometimes be a symptom of reflux, a common condition where babies bring back milk after feeds.

Speak to your health visitor or GP for more information and advice.

If your baby cries constantly

There are several reasons that can cause a baby to cry excessively.

It can be exhausting if you have tried everything and nothing seems to comfort your baby.

Colic

Excessive crying could be a sign that your baby has colic. Everyone agrees that colic exists, but nobody knows what causes it.

Some doctors think it's a kind of stomach cramp. The crying sounds miserable and distressed, and stops for a moment or two, then starts up again, which suggests it could be caused by waves of stomach pain.

The crying can go on for some hours. There may be little you can do except try to comfort your baby and wait for the crying to pass.
Get tips for coping with colic
Crying and illness

If your baby's crying constantly and you cannot console or distract them, or the cry does not sound like their normal cry, it can be a sign they're ill.

Or they may be ill if they're crying and have other symptoms, such as a high temperature. If this is the case, contact your health visitor, GP or call NHS 111.

Call 999 and ask for an ambulance if your baby:

has a fit (seizure or convulsion)

has blue, mottled, ashen (grey) or very pale skin

is unresponsive, floppy or not waking up as easily as usual

breathes rapidly or makes a throaty noise while breathing, or seems to be working hard to breathe, perhaps sucking in their stomach under their ribcage

is being violently sick a lot (projectile vomiting)

has a high temperature, but their hands and feet feel cold

has a spotty purple-red rash anywhere on the body - this could be a sign of meningitis

Find out the signs of serious illness in your baby
Trust your instincts. You know what's different or worrying behaviour in your baby.

Getting help with a crying baby

You can talk to a friend, your health visitor or GP, or contact the Cry-sis helpline free on 0800 448 0737. It is open 9am to 10pm, 7 days a week.

Cry-sis can put you in touch with other parents who have been in the same situation.

You can also visit the Cry-sis website for information on coping with crying babies.

If you decide to talk to your health visitor or GP, it can help to keep a record of how often and when your baby cries.

For example, this might be after every feed or during the evening. This can help your health visitor or GP to work out if there's a particular cause for the crying.

Keeping a record can also help you identify the times when you need extra support. You could think about possible changes to your routine.

There may be times when you're so tired and angry you feel like you cannot take any more. This happens to a lot of parents, so do not be ashamed to ask for help.

If you do not have anyone who can take care of your baby for a short time and the crying is making you stressed, put your baby in their cot or pram, make sure they're safe, close the door, go into another room and try to calm yourself down.

Set a time limit - for example, 10 minutes - then go back.

Never shake your baby

No matter how frustrated you feel, you must never shake your baby. Shaking moves their head violently and can cause brain damage.

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A crying baby can be exhausting and it can be hard to know what they need, especially in the early days. Use these tips to help soothe them.

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Support for you and your premature baby at home

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Taking your premature baby home can be exciting but may also a little daunting. The community healthcare team will help you all settle in.

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Established by a neonatal parent and psychologist, Miracle moon is a popular source of support for NICU parents.

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Welcome to season 3 of The NICU Space podcast! You might have noticed we've got a brand new name, and we're excited to be back after a little revamp. We've got so much to share with you this season!

We thought we'd kick off the new season by answering some questions that we hear often - how you can get the support you're entitled to, ways to best support a loved one who is going through NICU, how to open up to your partner more about how you're feeling after NICU and the best way to handle friends and family who don't quite understand what you've been through. If you've ever needed the answer to any of these questions (and let's be honest, we all have at some point!), we're sharing our advice today.

We hope you're going to join us for the rest of the season, as we have a lot planned for you and just know that it's going to be invaluable for anyone with an experience in NICU, whether past or present. And if you'd like additional support, we're also sharing details of our new community, The NICU Space. If you'd like to learn more, the link is shared in the section below.

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In this episode, we're:

Welcoming you back to season 3 of the podcast!

Updating you on our children's school transitions and all the worries that go along with that

Answering questions from our audience on a range of topics like how to be there for others who are going through NICU, handling a lack of understanding and what support is out there for you

Introducing you to our new community, The NICU Space

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Take what you need!

[00:48] Welcome to season 3!

[01:24] Changes for Miracle Moon and neonatal care since the last episode

[04:42] Navigating school transitions

[15:01] The brand new NICU Space community

[22:35] How can family and friends support a NICU parent?

[30:28] Handling friends and family not understanding

[35:05] Discussing your NICU experience with your partner

[43:17] Seeking support during and after NICU

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A huge thank you to Emma at Cover My Bubble for supporting our podcast - you can find out more about all that Cover My Bubble offer at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.covermybubble.co.uk

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This Episode's Links & Further Reading:

Free resource: Supporting friends and family during their NICU stay

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Connect with Miracle Moon:
Check out our website ✨ Join The NICU Space! Follow us on Instagram Connect with us on Facebook

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Welcome to season 3 of The NICU Space podcast! You might have noticed we've got a brand new name, and we're excited to be back after a little revamp. We've got so much to share with you this season!

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ReadyforParenthood campaign Congratulations on becoming a new parent Becoming a new parent is life-changing. It can also be in varying measures exhilarating, exhausting, and extremely challenging. Our #ReadyforParenthood campaign aims to support new parents and carers.

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Unexpected beginnings- the neonatal unit 

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Unexpected beginnings- the neonatal unit 

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A podcast hosted by parents for parents, discussing some of the issues faced during the neonatal unit journey.

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Hosted by veteran neonatal parents, Caroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike, this podcast will hold your hand through every step of the neonatal journey whether your baby is premature or full term, well or needing surgery.

Having a baby on a neonatal ward is a traumatic experience no matter how well your baby is doing. The wires, the bleeps, the medical terminology can all add up to create an environment that can feel really isolating and worlds away from what you had expected when you first saw your baby on an ultrasound.

Through listening to other parents experiences and speaking to doctors, surgeons, mental health workers and everyone in-between, this podcast aims to make you feel less alone and more supported, signposting you to help and information along the way.

This podcast has been recorded with the help and support of Leeds Children's Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust and funded by Leeds Hospital Charity.

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Children's Neonatal Services, What We Do

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We look after babies with 3 sorts of problems: Those born very early or too small. Those who have problems in the way that they are made (congenital anomalies). Those who become ill around the time of birth with problems like infection.

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We're consistently proud of the results that the young men who complete our 'Quest for Community' programme achieve; with 80% of participants either going on to not re-offend or reporting a much lower severity in their offending behaviour.

We achieve this success by bringing young men and adult role models together for an intensive rite-of-passage programme coupled with an accredited mentoring curriculum. This immersive journey both challenges and encourages the young men's growth, whilst providing them with the foundation of a lasting community and a wider network of support.

Our pioneering approach has been tailored to address the key contributors to offending behaviour identified both within the Social Exclusion Unit's report "Reducing Re-offending by Ex-prisoners" (2002) and equally the findings of the MOJ report "Transforming Rehabilitation: a summary of evidence on reoffending" (2013).

Our impact on the five primary areas highlighted in these reports can be seen in the outcomes below, that were taken from our most recent longditudinal evaluation in 2018.

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Perinatal mental health issues can happen in pregnancy and in the first years of being a parent (antenatal and postnatal). Problems can affect new mums as well as dads, people with no history of mental health problems as well as those who have. The word perinatal simply means the time around (peri) childbirth (natal). 

Perinatal Positivity uses the real voices and experiences of women and men who have had mental wellbeing difficulties around the time of pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. We hope it will help you emotionally prepare and find support, if needed, at this time.

ForMed films would like to especially thank the women and men who agreed to be interviewed, to tell their stories and share their experiences to help others. These eight hours of interviews have formed the six minute film.

The film and a number of translations and versions are available to download or embed for free from www.perinatalpositivity.org

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Postnatal depression (PND) is thought to affect as many as one in 10 men. Find out why, what the symptoms are and where to go for help.

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Postnatal depression is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby.
It's a common problem, affecting more than 1 in every 10 women within a year of giving birth. It can also affect fathers and partners.

It's important to get help as soon as possible if you think you might be depressed, as your symptoms could last for months or get worse and have a significant impact on you, your baby and your family.

With the right support most people make a full recovery.

Depression during pregnancy

Depression in pregnancy (antenatal depression) is also common, affecting more than 1 in 10 women.

Other mental health symptoms that can occur during or after your pregnancy include anxiety, panic attacks and psychosis.
Read more about mental health in pregnancy

Symptoms of postnatal depression

Many women feel a bit down, tearful or anxious in the first week after giving birth.

This is often called the " baby blues" and is so common that it's considered normal.

The "baby blues" do not last for more than 2 weeks after giving birth.

If your symptoms last longer or start later, you could have postnatal depression.

Postnatal depression can start any time in the first year after giving birth.

Signs that you or someone you know might be depressed include:

a persistent feeling of sadness and low mood

lack of enjoyment and loss of interest in the wider world

lack of energy and feeling tired all the time

trouble sleeping at night and feeling sleepy during the day

finding it difficult to look after yourself and your baby

withdrawing from contact with other people

problems concentrating and making decisions

frightening thoughts - for example, about hurting your baby

Many women do not realise they have postnatal depression because it can develop gradually.

Speak to a GP, midwife or health visitor as soon as possible if:

you think you may be depressed

Many midwives and health visitors have been trained to recognise postnatal depression and have techniques that can help.

Remember that:

a range of help and support is available, including talking therapy

depression is an illness like any other

it's not your fault you're depressed - it can happen to anyone

being depressed does not mean you're a bad parent

it does not mean you're going mad

your baby will not be taken away from you - babies are only taken into care in very exceptional circumstances

Treatments for postnatal depression

Postnatal depression can be lonely, distressing and frightening, but support and effective treatments are available.

These include:

self-help - things you can try yourself include talking to your family and friends about your feelings and what they can do to help, making time for yourself to do things you enjoy, resting whenever you get the chance, getting as much sleep as you can at night, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet

talking therapy - a GP may be able to recommend a self-help course or may refer you for a course of therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

antidepressants - these may be recommended if your depression is more severe or other treatments have not helped; your doctor can prescribe a medicine that's safe to take while breastfeeding

Local and national organisations, such as the Association for Post Natal Illness (APNI) and Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support (PANDAS), can also be useful sources of help and advice.

Causes of postnatal depression

The cause of postnatal depression is not completely clear.

There are a number of things that may make you more likely to have postnatal depression. These include:

a history of mental health problems, particularly depression, earlier in life

a history of mental health problems during pregnancy

having no close family or friends to support you

a difficult relationship with your partner

recent stressful life events, such as a bereavement

physical or psychological trauma, such as domestic violence

Even if you do not have any of these, having a baby is a life-changing event that can sometimes trigger depression.

It often takes time to adapt to becoming a new parent. Looking after a baby can be stressful and exhausting.

Preventing postnatal depression

There are things you can do during pregnancy to help you keep well, such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle and having someone you can talk to and turn to for support.

Going to antenatal classes and making friends with other pregnant women or new parents can also be helpful.

If you are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, talk to a GP or your mental health team if:

you have a history of depression or mental health problems

someone in your family has had mental health problems after childbirth (for example, your mother or sister)

This is so they can offer you appropriate treatment.

You can also talk to a midwife, who can support you or refer you to specialist mental health services if needed. If you have had a mental health problem while pregnant, your doctor should arrange for you to be seen regularly in the first few weeks after birth.

The mental health team, maternity team and GP will work closely with you during your pregnancy and after you have given birth.

Myths about postnatal depression

Postnatal depression is often misunderstood and there are many myths surrounding it.

These include:

postnatal depression is less severe than other types of depression - in fact, it's as serious as other types of depression

postnatal depression is entirely caused by hormonal changes - it's actually caused by many different factors

postnatal depression will soon pass - unlike the "baby blues", postnatal depression can persist for months if left untreated and in a minority of cases it can become a long-term problem

postnatal depression only affects women - research has actually found that up to 1 in 10 new fathers become depressed after having a baby

These factors are equally true of antenatal depression.

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Postnatal depression is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby. It's a common problem. Depression in pregnancy (antenatal depression) is also common.

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Improving the health of children and young people in Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight.

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healthier together, wessex, what0-18, nhs, home, worried about my child, parent support tool, pregnancy, child, children, young people, professional, parent, carer

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A personal perspective of becoming a parent

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A personal perspective of becoming a parent

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NHS South East Clinical Delivery and Networks

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Being the parent of a premature baby; interview for the #ReadyforParenthood campaign

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Supporting specialised parent-infant relationships

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Bliss is a national website with information and support for parents

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For babies born premature or sick | Bliss

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Our vision is that every baby born premature or sick in the UK has the best chance of survival and quality of life.

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You are the most important person in your baby's care

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You are the most important person in your baby's care

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This information is available in verified by experts in our Editorial Board including representatives from Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Royal College of Psychiatrists as well as other key health organisations in the UK. To download Baby Buddy, visit the relevant app store of your choice:

Introduction

The first video from the Small Wonders DVD explains the different levels of care your baby might need, and who might give it. We meet some of the families and hospital staff, and guide you as to how to use this DVD to get support, wherever you are on your journey.

In the second video from the Small Wonders DVD, we meet three families, two who had time to prepare for life in a neonatal unit and one who had very little warning. We see three births, one of which is the birth of triplets, and we follow the babies being prepared for transfer to the neonatal unit.

First hours

The third video from the Small Wonders DVD provides a look into the first hours and days in the neonatal unit and shows you how you, as a parent, can play a very important role in your baby's care.

Expressing breast milk

The fourth video from the Small Wonders DVD shows how mothers can express breast milk for their baby within a few hours of giving birth (if at all possible mothers should express milk within the first 6 hours after giving birth). Starting to express breast milk early and expressing milk often will help your body produce plenty of milk for the weeks and months to come.

Holding your baby

The fifth video from the Small Wonders DVD shows how skin-to-skin contact (also known as 'kangaroo care') can help both you and your baby. You will see families move from being nervous to being able to hold their babies with confidence.

Your time in hospital

The sixth video from the Small Wonders DVD follows families as they begin to feel more confident in caring for their babies on the neonatal unit. You will also see how some of our families cope with their baby's condition getting worse.

Feeding independently

The seventh video from the Small Wonders DVD follows four families as they learn to help their babies feed independently of tubes. Although some babies may go home being fed by tube, most will be feeding independently before they are discharged from hospital, whether they are breastfeeding or formula-feeding.

Preparing for home

The eighth video from the Small Wonders DVD covers what to expect when your baby is ready to leave hospital. We follow five families as they prepare to go home.

First months at home

The ninth video from the Small Wonders DVD follows nine families enjoying the early weeks and months at home with their pre-term baby. They all have different experiences and challenges.

Twins and triplets

The tenth video from the Small Wonders DVD follows four families who had twins or triplets and discovers some some of the joys and challenges that come with having more than one baby.

Bereavement

This video from the Small Wonders DVD is only for families who have to deal with bereavement. We have included it because parents asked us to. Only watch this video if you feel it will be helpful to you and please be aware that everyone's experience of bereavement is different and may not reflect your own. This film follows the journeys of families who lost babies during filming and chose to carry on sharing their experiences to help others.

The twelfth and final video from the Small Wonders DVD shows the families whose journeys we have been following in films 1 to 10 looking back on their experiences and sharing their thoughts and feelings.

Latest

The Impact Lead will focus on developing Best Beginnings' frameworks for monitoring and evaluating our national and international work ensuring that learning continues to be captured in ways that can be shared and used for effective advocacy and influencing. The successful candidate will also play a pivotal role influencing policy and its implementation within the maternity, early years, digital health and public health context.

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The Small Wonders videos have been designed to help you on your journey with your sick or premature baby.

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Newborn blood spot screening involves taking a blood sample to find out if your baby has 1 of 9 rare but serious health conditions.

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Every baby is offered newborn blood spot screening, also known as the heel prick test, ideally when they're 5 days old.

What is the blood spot test?

Newborn blood spot screening involves taking a blood sample to find out if your baby has 1 of 9 rare but serious health conditions.

Most babies won't have any of these conditions but, for the few who do, the benefits of screening are enormous.

Early treatment can improve their health, and prevent severe disability or even death.

What does the blood spot test involve?

When your baby is 5 days old, a healthcare professional will prick their heel and collect 4 drops of blood on a special card.

You can ease any distress for your baby by cuddling and feeding them, and making sure they're warm and comfortable.

Occasionally, the sample may need to be taken when your baby is 6, 7 or 8 days old.

Sometimes a second blood spot sample is needed. The reason for this will be explained to you. It doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with your baby.

The test doesn't carry any known risks for your baby.

Which conditions is the blood spot test for?

The blood spot test screens for the following 9 rare but serious conditions.

If you, your partner or a family member already has one of these conditions (or a family history of it), tell your healthcare professional straight away.

Sickle cell disease

About 270 babies are born with sickle cell disease in the UK each year. This is a serious inherited blood disease.

Sickle cell disease affects haemoglobin, the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body.

Babies who have this condition will need specialist care throughout their lives.

People with sickle cell disease can have attacks of severe pain and get serious, life-threatening infections. They're usually anaemic because their blood cells have difficulty carrying oxygen.

The blood spot screening test means that babies with sickle cell disease can receive early treatment to help them live healthier lives. This may include vaccinations and antibiotics to prevent serious illnesses.

Pregnant women are also routinely tested for sickle cell disease early in pregnancy.

Read more about sickle cell disease.
GOV.UK also has a factsheet about sickle cell disease
Cystic fibrosis

About 1 in 2,500 babies born in the UK has cystic fibrosis. This inherited condition affects the digestion and lungs.

Babies with cystic fibrosis may not gain weight well and are prone to chest infections.

Babies with the condition can be treated early with a high-energy diet, medicines and physiotherapy.

Although children with cystic fibrosis may still become very ill, early treatment can help them live longer, healthier lives.

Read more about cystic fibrosis.
GOV.UK also has a leaflet for parents whose baby has suspected cystic fibrosis
Congenital hypothyroidism

About 1 in every 2,000 to 3,000 babies born in the UK has congenital hypothyroidism. Babies with congenital hypothyroidism don't have enough of the hormone thyroxine.

Without thyroxine, babies don't grow properly and can develop learning disabilities.

Babies who have the condition can be treated early with thyroxine tablets, and this allows them to develop normally.
The British Thyroid Foundation has more information about congenital hypothyroidism
Inherited metabolic diseases

It's important to let your healthcare professional know if you have a family history of a metabolic disease (a disease that affects your metabolism).

Babies are screened for 6 inherited metabolic diseases. These are:

About 1 in 10,000 babies born in the UK has PKU or MCADD. The other conditions are rarer, occurring in 1 in 100,000 to 150,000 babies.

Without treatment, babies with inherited metabolic diseases can become suddenly and seriously ill. The diseases all have different symptoms.

Depending on which one affects your baby, the condition may be life threatening or cause severe developmental problems.

They can all be treated with a carefully managed diet and, in some cases, medicines as well.

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)

In some areas of England, screening for a condition called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is also being offered as part of the newborn blood spot test. This is to help the NHS decide if screening for SCID should be offered to all babies in England.

SCID causes problems with the immune system. It makes it very hard for a baby to fight off infections like meningitis and pneumonia, which can be life-threatening. About 14 babies born each year in England have SCID.

Ask your midwife if screening for SCID is being offered in your area.
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children has more information on severe combined immunodeficiency

Does my baby have to have the blood spot test?

The blood spot test is not compulsory, but it's recommended because it could save your baby's life.

You can choose to have screening for sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis or congenital hypothyroidism individually, but you can only choose to have screening for all 6 inherited metabolic diseases or none at all.

If you don't want your baby to be screened for any of these conditions, discuss it with your midwife.

You should be given information about the blood spot test and the diseases it screens for in advance so you can make an informed decision for your baby.

If you change your mind, babies can be screened up to the age of 12 months for all the conditions except cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis can only be screened for up to 8 weeks of age.

If you have any concerns about the tests, speak to your midwife, health visitor or GP.

When will we get the results?

You should receive the results either by letter or from a healthcare professional by the time your baby is 6 to 8 weeks old.

The results should be recorded in your baby's personal child health record (red book). It's important to keep this safe and take it with you to all your baby's appointments.

If you haven't received your baby's results, speak to your health visitor or GP.

You'll be contacted sooner if your baby screens positive. This means they're more likely to have one of the conditions tested for.

You'll be contacted:

the day the result is available, or the next working day, if your baby is thought to have congenital hypothyroidism (CHT) - you'll be given an appointment to see a specialist

before your baby's 4 weeks old if they're thought to have cystic fibrosis

before your baby's 6 weeks old if they're thought to have sickle cell disease

Screening for cystic fibrosis finds some babies who may be genetic carriers of the condition. These babies may need further testing.

Screening for sickle cell disease also finds babies who are carriers of this or other red blood cell diseases.

Carriers are healthy, although they can experience problems in situations where their bodies aren't getting much oxygen - for example, if they're having an anaesthetic.

Parents of babies who are found to be carriers should be told by the time they're 6 to 8 weeks old.

What do the results mean?

Most babies will have a normal result, which means it's unlikely that they have any of the conditions.

A small number of babies will screen positive for one of the conditions. This doesn't mean they have the condition, but they're more likely to have it. They'll be referred to a specialist for more tests.

It's important to know that screening isn't 100% certain. A baby with a negative screening result may later turn out to have the disease screened for. This is known as a false negative.

Babies with a positive result sometimes turn out not to have the disease - what's known as a false positive.

Occasionally, other medical conditions are picked up by blood spot test screening. For example, babies with beta thalassaemia major, a serious blood disease, will usually be detected. These babies also need to be referred for early treatment.

More information

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Your guide to the newborn blood spot (heel prick) test, including which diseases it screens for and when to expect the results

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This link covers medical conditions found on the neonatal unit, some babies may never have any of these conditions so we advise only reading about them if your baby has had a diagnosis, these conditions include:
Respiratory conditions
Meningitis
Jaundice
Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC)
Sepsis
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)
Reflux
Brain haemorrhage
Brain haemorrhage in full term babies
Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH)

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Find out more about different medical conditions and types of infection.

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Resources that provide information about the neonatal unit, daily routines, staff as well as much more.

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Information for your first few days in the neonatal unit. Read about what to expect, finding your feet, and how to get more support.

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This short video explains what neonatal units are and abit about neonatal care.

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Neonatal Animation: A guide for parents on what to expect when on a neonatal unit