If your baby is born early or needs special care, you may need extra advice and reassurance. Here's how to cope in difficult times.
Special Care Baby Unit
If your baby is very small, or ill, she may be taken to the Neonatal Unit (often called the Special Care Baby Unit or SCBU), where babies are given specialised care. She may be in an incubator to allow close observation, or under a heater to keep her warm. She may only need to stay in the SCBU for a few hours, or for longer, depending on her condition.
Having a baby in the SCBU is a very worrying experience for new parents. Just when you most want to hold and care for your baby, you can’t. Reassure yourself that your baby is getting the care she needs. Staff will make sure that you hold and cuddle your baby as soon as possible.
Early arrivals
Babies delivering early are at risk of many complications but those born from 26 weeks now have a very good chance of surviving and developing normally.
Depending on how premature your baby is, and whether or not she’s poorly, she may need help with:
- Temperature control - she’ll be put in an incubator or under a powerful heater.
- Fighting off infection - she may be given antibiotics as a precaution.
- Breathing - because her lungs are not fully mature she may be given oxygen via a tube.
- Feeding - she may need to be fed via a tube passed through her nose or mouth into her tummy, until strong enough to feed normally.
Your baby will be constantly monitored and may need treatment for jaundice.
She may look:
- Very fragile.
- Vulnerable, perhaps attached to tubes and monitors.
- Thin and wizened, unlike plump full-term babies
- Quite hairy, and her skin may be red.
Kangaroo care
Staff may suggest that you spend some time in the SCBU giving your baby ‘kangaroo care’, when your baby is placed on your chest, in skin-to-skin contact with you. Dads can do this, too. Both parents and babies like the closeness of kangaroo care; babies cry less, spend more time in deep sleep and have more oxygen in their blood.
You may be unsure of trying it at first, your baby seems so small and vulnerable... but she will appreciate it.
Best milk for special babies
The best food for early or poorly babies is your own breast milk, which helps protect your premature baby against damage to her intestines. She can be put to the breast if she’s strong enough to suck, or you can express milk so it can be given to your baby via a tube. She may also be given milk from a breastmilk bank. Even if you didn’t intend to breastfeed your baby, supplying some breast milk will be an enormous benefit to her. You can also store your breastmilk in an upright freezer for up to 3 months.
Twins (or more) in special care
Your babies may need special care if they are small, premature or poorly.
You may feel helpless while your babies are in the SCBU, but there are ways you can feel close to them:
- Ask for a photo of your babies to keep at your bedside.
- Visit your babies as soon as you can.
- Talk to the SCBU staff about expressing your milk for your babies if they are too weak to suck.
- Stroke your babies through the incubator portholes.
- Get involved in your babies’ care.
You need support too. Contact TAMBA (the Twins and Multiple Birth Association) on www.tamba.org.uk Tel: 0800 138 0509
Contact BLISS
(Baby Life Support Systems)
freephone helpline 0500 618 140 or visit www.bliss.org.uk
When your baby needs special care
You may feel as though your baby does not belong to you or very protective of her. You may feel awkward compared to the neonatal nurses and doctors. When you are ready, the staff will help you to care for your baby:
- If your baby is in an incubator, you can stroke or hold her through the portholes.
- You may be able to help with feeding her or changing her nappy.
- You can talk to your baby. She will know your voice already and be comforted by it.
But you need support too! You may need your friends and relatives to help you get to and from hospital, and to sit with your baby while you take a break. Having a baby in special care can also put a strain on your relationship - find out more about coping with babies with problems.
