Andrea
11-25-2009, 08:24 AM
What will happen when my baby is born?
If your baby is born:
After 34 weeks, he may not need any treatment. He may look a bit small, but he may be able to go straight to the postnatal ward with you. Or he may be admitted with you to a special ward where there is a high ratio of staff to mothers.
Before 34 weeks, he may need specialised care, because premature babies are more likely to have problems with breathing, feeding and infection. This may mean that your baby has to be taken straight to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care baby unit (SCBU). You may only have a brief glimpse of him before he is whisked away. This can be very frightening and you will need lots of support.
Before 28 weeks, he may need to be cared for in a hospital where there is specialist care for very premature babies (RCOG 2008).
If your baby does need special care, you'll be encouraged to see him as often as you want to. You may feel that there is nothing you can do for him, but this isn't true. You can still change his nappy, stroke him, talk to him, and perhaps hold and feed him.
Remember that he needs the special comfort that only his parents can give him, every bit as much as he needs medical help. Find out more about caring for your premature baby.
If your baby is born:
After 34 weeks, he may not need any treatment. He may look a bit small, but he may be able to go straight to the postnatal ward with you. Or he may be admitted with you to a special ward where there is a high ratio of staff to mothers.
Before 34 weeks, he may need specialised care, because premature babies are more likely to have problems with breathing, feeding and infection. This may mean that your baby has to be taken straight to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care baby unit (SCBU). You may only have a brief glimpse of him before he is whisked away. This can be very frightening and you will need lots of support.
Before 28 weeks, he may need to be cared for in a hospital where there is specialist care for very premature babies (RCOG 2008).
If your baby does need special care, you'll be encouraged to see him as often as you want to. You may feel that there is nothing you can do for him, but this isn't true. You can still change his nappy, stroke him, talk to him, and perhaps hold and feed him.
Remember that he needs the special comfort that only his parents can give him, every bit as much as he needs medical help. Find out more about caring for your premature baby.