The Neonatal Unit
Our neonatal unit is superbly equipped and resourced to care for all the sick and premature babies born at the hospital and in the local area, and also provides facilities for parents and carers.
Audit has shown that there are consistently good outcomes for
all gestations including within our unit (including 26 - 27 weeks)
and the survival rate is consistently above the national
average.
Although not a referral unit, we are registered with the
emergency bed service and will accept intrauterine transfers from
other hospitals. We provide intensive care (levels 1 and 2) as well
as a special care nursery for babies who no longer require
intensive care.
Intensive care - level 1
This is adjacent to the central delivery suite, allowing easy
access and prompt admission of emergencies. Very ill and premature
babies are admitted here. Each cot is fully equipped with the
most modern life supporting technology and vital sign monitoring
equipment such as ventilators, an intensive care incubator, a
combined monitor and infusion pumps. The equipment is secured
on a state of the art workstation ensuring safety and space within
this busy area.
Level 1 provides care for:
- all babies receiving any respiratory support via a tracheal
tube and in the first 24 hours after withdrawal
- any baby requiring Nasal Continuous Airway Pressure
(NCPAP)
- all babies with severe respiratory disease in the first 48
hours of life
- any baby below 29 weeks gestation, for the first 48 hours after
birth
- all babies receiving infusions of an inotrope, pulmonary
vasodilator or prostaglandin and for 24 hours afterwards
- any baby receiving an exchange transfusion
Babies within the intensive care nursery require constant
skilled nursing and medical care and our staff are specially
trained to a very high standard. Although intensive care can be
overwhelming, you are actively encouraged and supported to
participate in your baby's care.
Intensive care - level 2
As intensive care babies improve they are transferred into the
level 2 nursery, but sometimes babies are admitted directly into
this area.
Level 2 provides care for:
- all babies receiving total parenteral nutrition
- any baby who is having convulsions
- all babies with respiratory disease after 48 hours requiring
additional oxygen
- any baby who has apnoea requiring stimulation
- all babies requiring complex nursing procedures
- any baby requiring treatment for neonatal abstinence
syndrome
The list above is not exhaustive. Babies may still be nursed in
an incubator and require intravenous nutrition; they may also be
jaundiced and require phototherapy.
At this stage you will become more involved in the care of you
sick newborn. Physical contact with your baby is actively
encouraged and the unit has developed the use of Kangaroo Care.
This involves skin-to-skin contact with you and allows the
baby to hear the rhythmical beating of your heart which promotes
growth and wellbeing.
Special care nursery
By the time babies have reached the special care nursery most of
their medical problems will have been resolved, so they are nursed
in cots and weaned off their monitoring equipment.
Our special care nursery provides care for:
- some babies who may still require continuous monitoring of
vital signs
- any baby who is being tube fed
- babies who are receiving phototherapy
- babies requiring special monitoring e.g. blood glucose or
bilirubin levels
- all babies who need to be barrier nursed
Establishment of feeds, whether breast or bottle, takes place at
this stage and the final preparation for discharge. Wherever
possible babies are nursed with mum on the post natal ward. This
transitional care may involve the administration of intravenous
antibiotics, phototherapy and, on occasions, nasogastric tube
feeding.
Support for you
The postnatal wards are in close proximity to the unit and you
are welcome to visit your baby at any time. If, for any reason, you
are unable to visit then, depending on the baby's condition, it may
be possible to bring the baby to visit you.
A photograph of your baby and a booklet containing information
about the unit will be given to you. There is also a wide
variety of health promotion and information leaflets available
throughout your stay, as well as the continual support of
knowledgeable staff.
Our unit actively supports the baby friendly initiative
which encourages breast-feeding. A designated room is
available for mothers wishing to breast-feed; we can also provide
breast pumps so that you can express their breast milk for your
baby to enjoy.
There is a lounge with TV and beverage facilities where the
parents can have a rest away from the unit and siblings are very
welcome to play with the toys provided here. There are also two
bedrooms where you can 'room in' prior to taking your baby home.
Some babies can be in the unit for a very long time; rooming in
helps to reduce anxiety and build your confidence in preparation
for discharge.
Contact us
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Neonatal unit:
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01702 385186
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