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PARENT REFERRAL

Going home

Hearing the word “home” on the neonatal unit is exciting but it can also be daunting. 

Going home with your baby may have been all you’ve thought about for weeks or even months. But the reality is that going home can be stressful and it’s important that families feel supported. 

 

Some babies may go home with additional health or development needs and may need ongoing support from healthcare professionals. It can take time to build up trust with new teams, and parents can often be left feeling frustrated and confused by the difference in care.

How can we help?

At Spoons, we’re here to help you to prepare to go home, as well as providing support when you’re home. We offer a range of services to help the transition from the neonatal unit to home feel that bit easier.

Family support at home

Our family support team can visit you at home and offer a range of services including:

  • Home play sessions

  • Newborn behavioural observations (NBO)

  • Baby massage sessions

  • Peer support

  • Financial advice

  • Access to other specialist services

Community groups & sessions

Parents can access any of our community support groups and are welcome to bring along siblings. We know coming to groups for the first time can be daunting, so parents are also welcome to bring along their parents or grandparents if that helps. Our range of community groups and sessions include:

  • Baby massage
  • Stay & play
  • Sing n shake
  • Little Cruisers wellbeing walks
  • Sensory play
Find out more about our community groups

Trauma therapy

Spoons can fund sessions of trauma therapy or counselling for any parent who has experienced neonatal care in Greater Manchester.

Find out more about our trauma therapy services

Online support

Our private parent support Facebook group is a good place to access support if you can’t get to groups or you aren’t quite ready to come along. 

You’ll always find someone in the group who can offer advice or even just listen to your concerns. Our Facebook group is a safe and understanding environment where parents can discuss their concerns and fears without being judged.

Getting ready to take your baby home

Here’s some information that might help you prepare.

Rooming in

You may get the opportunity to stay in the room with your baby prior to going home. This means you’ll spend a night or two with your baby in a bedroom which is still on or very close to the neonatal unit. This will give you the opportunity to care for your baby overnight but still have the support of the neonatal staff if you feel you need them.

 

Discharge planning

You may be offered a discharge planning meeting before your baby goes home with you. This will be arranged by the neonatal staff and is a way of bringing together the teams who’ll be helping you care for your baby. 

Some of the people you can expect to be present are: your baby’s consultant; a neonatal nurse; your health visitor; a member of the outreach or community nursing team. 

The meeting is a good opportunity for you to ask questions so it may be worth jotting down anything you can think of before the meeting. 

Questions you may want to ask could include: 

  • Who will weigh my baby? 

  • How will I get my baby’s prescriptions or formula? 

  • Who do I contact if I am concerned about my baby? 

Remember the purpose of this meeting is to support you to take your baby home, and no question is a silly question.

 

Going home on oxygen

Taking a baby home on oxygen can be very daunting, but lots of babies leave neonatal care on oxygen and parents are well supported in the community. 

Before going home from the neonatal unit with your baby, it’s a good idea to make sure you feel confident in changing your baby’s nasal cannula. Find out where you can get replacement cannulas and stickers, and make sure you understand when and how to order replacement oxygen. 

If you take your baby home on oxygen, you’ll be supported by an outreach or community nursing team. This means you may have lots of people visiting you at home. It can take some time to get used to, but you’ll get the hang of things very quickly.

 

Tube feeding

Some babies can go home when they’re still being tube fed. This may be a temporary or long-term plan, depending on your baby’s needs. We’ll support you with training so you can feel confident in tube feeding before you take your baby home. You’ll also be supported at home by a neonatal outreach team or community nursing team. Before you take your baby home, make sure you have all the names and contact telephone numbers of those people who will support you.

 

Appointments

Going home doesn’t mean that support from healthcare professionals ends. You may find yourself managing lots of appointments and visits for your baby. 

 

It’s a good idea to make a list of all the people who may have an input in your baby’s care before you leave the neonatal unit, and make sure you have contact numbers for them. 

 

It’s also recommended to have a diary or calendar to log your appointments, so you don’t get confused. Equally, your baby may go home with very little input from healthcare professionals, and this may make you feel uneasy. 

 

It can help to know who to contact if you do have concerns about your baby. Doing this before you leave the neonatal unit can alleviate some of the stress at home.