Special care baby unit — Auckland (North and West)

North Shore Hospital

09 486 8920 extension 42268

Waitakere Hospital

09 839 8920 extension 47993

North Shore Hospital

124 Shakespeare Road

Takapuna

Auckland

Waitākere Hospital

55 Lincoln Road

Henderson

Auckland

While in the Neonatal Units, your baby will be cared for by a team of people who specialise in care of babies, including:

• doctors (paediatricians)
• nurses
• speech-language therapists
• neurodevelopmental therapists
• dietitians
• social workers
• cultural support workers
• lactation consultant.

Pēpi who are less than 32 weeks gestation and babies who need a higher level of care because they are very sick will be transferred for care at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) such as at Auckland City Hospital.

We will show you how to handle and care for your pēpi and help you time your visits to be at the same time as feeds and nappy changes.

In order to promote an optimal environment for growth, we support the philosophy of developmental supportive care. This includes low lighting, a quiet bedside area and optimal positioning. We also promote skin to skin cuddles (kangaroo care), pēpi bonding and we strive to be a whānau-centred unit

Nurses are always available to answer your questions. You can speak to a doctor during ward rounds from 9am each day. Talk to your nurse if you want to speak to a doctor outside of these times

What parents can do while your pēpi is in SCBU

As parents, you will be supported by staff to provide care for your pēpi. There are lots of things you can do:

• attend the ward round and be involved in decisions about the care of your pēpi
• breastfeed your pēpi
• bath your pēpi
• change the nappy of your pēpi
• take the temperature of your pēpi
• choose linen and clothes for your pēpi
• express breast milk
• prepare feeds and tube feed your pēpi
• hold your pēpi for skin to skin cuddles.

Visiting

Parents are encouraged to visit at any time, 24 hours a day.

We do encourage quiet time between 12pm and 2pm when the lights are dimmed and noise is kept to a minimum. This is a special bonding time for you and your pēpi.

You can identify a support person who can also visit outside of visiting hours, but any other visitors must be accompanied by you or your partner between the hours of 2pm and 4pm and 6pm to 8pm.

Siblings are welcome on the unit for short periods, but we ask that other tamariki not visit. This is to prevent the spread of infection.

Only 2 visitors per pēpi are allowed.

Whānau facilities

We encourage you to spend as much time as possible with your pēpi and have the following facilities in place to help.

Meals for mums:

• breakfast at 7am
• lunch at midday
• dinner at 5:30pm.

If you will be here for a meal, let your nurse know or write it on the board

Parent kitchen so you can heat up your own food or make yourself a hot drink.

Parking cards for mums so you do not have to pay for parking.

Parents' overnight stay room.

A room to express your breast milk.

• We support the 10 steps to successful breast feeding and your expressed breast milk (E.B.M.) is the preferred milk of choice.
• We have electric breast pumps available for your use.
• We will provide containers for your milk — feel free to take as many home as you need.
• All breast milk should be transported in a chilly bin and kept refrigerated. We have a freezer for frozen milk and a fridge, just for storing milk. We will provide labels for you to name and date your E.B.M and show you where to leave it in our fridge.

Access to social, religious and cultural support.

National Travel Assistance, to help pay for the cost of travel to and from the unit.

National Travel Assistance (internal link)

Preparing for discharge

When your pēpi is getting close to going home, your nurse will discuss discharge planning with you.

You may be offered the following:

• a discharge planning meeting to discuss all the services that will be in place for your pēpi when you go home
• pēpi resuscitation training
• community services follow up
• time in the parent overnight stay room
• a bath demonstration
• demonstration on how to give medication to your pēpi
• teaching of any other special care your pēpi might require
• hearing screening.

Going home

It will be time to go home when your pēpi is maintaining their temperature in a cot, can do all suck feeds for 24 to 48 consecutive hours, and is gaining weight.

Some pēpi may take several nights in the parents' overnight room to achieve this and some may only need 1 night. You may need to be flexible and prepared to take a bit more time if your pēpi is not quite ready.

You will need to be independent and confident with the care of your pēpi.