Having your baby early can be a worrying time for parents and can disrupt your journey to becoming parents. You will most likely experience a range of mixed emotions some of which may be difficult to acknowledge.
Born before 37 weeks of pregnancy
Premature or pre-term birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. In the UK, over 100,000 babies are born prematurely or sick. If your baby is born early it will most likely be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for neonatal care. Neonatal care describes the type of care that a premature or sick baby will receive. Your baby will be cared for by a team of specialist and highly skilled professionals until they are ready to be discharged to come home.
If you have given birth prematurely you may not have met your health visitor. Following the birth of your baby your health visitor will be notified and they will then contact you to arrange a new baby review, which will take place between day 10 -14 after your baby’s birth date.
The new baby review can be arranged to take place on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or at your home, depending upon your preference. Your health visitor, alongside the neonatal staff, will be able to support you emotionally in your role as new parents in addition to offering practical support and advice.