Bliss

Support for parents and families of premature or very poorly babies, with information on being a parent on the neonatal unit. 
For babies born premature or sick | Bliss

Rainbow Trust

Supporting families (including siblings) with a very poorly child. Also includes a continued service at home.
Supporting Children and Families | Rainbow Trust Children's Charity

South West Neonatal Network

A group of parents and carers with lived experience of caring for a child who has been admitted to any of the 12 neonatal units in southwest England.
South West Neonatal Network (swneonatalnetwork.co.uk)

Mothers for Mothers

Maternal mental health and wellbeing support, advice, and information to women/birthing people.
Mothers for Mothers | Postnatal mental health support

Black Mothers Matter

Supporting and celebrating Black pregnancies across Bristol (and the UK).
Black Mothers Matter

Project Mama

Offering migrated mothers holistic and compassionate support during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. 
Project MAMA

LGBT Mummies

Support for LGBT+ women and people during the perinatal and neonatal journey.
LGBT Mummies

Dad Matters

Providing one to one support, antenatal outreach, and online resources for fathers during the first 1001 days of their parenting journey, with support for dads suffering with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
Bristol – Dad Matters

Birth Trauma Association

Supporting parents who have experienced birth trauma.
The Birth Trauma Association

Twins Trust

Supporting families with twins, triplets or more through every milestone.
Twins Trust | Twins Trust - We support twins, triplets and more.

Spoons

Support for the whole family, including siblings, from admission to the neonatal unit and beyond.
Spoons Charity - Neonatal Family Support

Rainbow Trust

Supporting families (including siblings) with a very poorly child. Also includes a continued service at home.
Supporting Children and Families | Rainbow Trust Children's Charity

The NICU Foundation

A series of online videos with information about a stay in neonatal care and preparing to take your baby home.
Home (nicufoundation.co.uk)

Small Wonders

A series of bite-size films about birth, expressing, holding your baby in NICU, preparing for home and beyond.
Small Wonders | Best Beginnings

Understanding Your Child (NHS Solihull)

A free online course designed to help parents learn about their baby’s development, understand their needs and read their cues, and support for emotional wellbeing.
Understanding Your Child (heiapply.com)

PEEPS

Support for parents, families and friends of those who have experienced HIE (hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy).
Peeps HIE Charity | HIE Awareness & Support (peeps-hie.org)

SWAN (Syndromes Without A Name)

Support for families of children with undiagnosed genetic conditions.
SWAN UK (Syndromes Without A Name) - Genetic Alliance

Tommy’s

Support for parents following baby loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, and neonatal death.
Saving babies' lives - Charity for Babies | Tommy's (tommys.org)

The Bluebell Foundation

Offers support and information to parents and families affected by the death or life-limiting illness of a baby or child, infertility, pregnancy loss or difficult decisions relating to pregnancy.
Support For Grieving Families - The Bluebell Foundation

Petals

Specialist counselling for parents who have experienced loss, including stillbirth and neonatal death (professional referral only).
Petals, The baby loss counselling charity - Petals Charity

2Wish

Support for parents and immediate family after a sudden and unexpected death of a child, including bereavement support, counselling, play therapy for siblings & support groups.
Home - 2 Wish

SANDS

Safe space for bereaved families to grieve and find support following the death of a baby.
Sands | Saving babies' lives. Supporting bereaved families.

Child Bereavement UK

Help and support for children, young people, parents and their families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.
Child Bereavement UK

Purple Butterfly – The Skye High Foundation

Supporting families during and after the loss of a twin, triplet or multiples.
Home | Skye High Foundation (theskyehighfoundation.com)

Winston’s Wish

A charity supporting children to find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief. Support for their families with professionals involved.
Winston's Wish - giving hope to grieving children (winstonswish.org)

Bristol Family Hubs

There to support every family in the city with children up to 19 (or 25 with special educational needs and disabilities). Brings together all the things a family may need in one place.
Bristol Family Hubs

Home Start

Support, friendship, and practical help to parents of young children.
Home-Start Bristol and South Gloucestershire | Supporting families in Bristol and South Gloucestershire (homestartbsg.org.uk)

Rock-a-bye

Offers group support for new parents, running for 10-12 weeks in Children’s Centres across Bristol, for parents and pre-crawling babies.
Rockabye

Maternity Action

Service dedicated to promoting, protecting, and enhancing the rights of pregnant women, new mothers and their families to employment, social security and healthcare.
Home - Maternity Action

NHS Talking Therapies

Evidence-based psychological therapies for people struggling with depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress. Mothers in the perinatal period are currently prioritised on the waiting list. Can self-refer or be referred via GP.

NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

If you are struggling with mental health difficulties or finding it hard to get through your normal daily activities as a result of any of the above issues, please speak to a trained health professional, such as your GP.

If you are having any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please immediately contact your GP, call 111 (option 2) or call 999. Alternatively, please attend your local emergency department.

Parents can be with their baby 24 hours a day. Handover of care generally takes half an hour and commences at 7.30am and 7.30pm. Medical ward round commences at 8.30 am. Parents are welcome to join all handovers and the medical review of their baby. When coming to the unit enter through the main Mendip Maternity Reception. Parents can have access to NICU with our finger print device which can be offered as a way of access for parents to maintain high security levels but easy access to their infants. Mobile phones can be used on the unit but must be placed on silent and phone calls taken outside of the nurseries in the main corridors to reduce noise within the rooms. While your baby is on NICU we can use a system called V-CREATE to send photos and videos of your baby so you stay in contact even when you are off the unit to help you feel connected and reassured.

We recommend that you do not bring large numbers of visitors to see your baby however we appreciate the importance of your family network for support. Visiting times are 12noon – 7pm and must be over 14 years old. The maximum number of visitors is two at any one time, with a parent accompanying them. All parents and visitors whose babies are in NICU should please ring the bell in the corridor before entering unless they arrive with a parent who has fingerprint access. Please leave outdoor coats on the coat hooks by the entry door, keeping all your valuables with you.

We encourage parents and siblings to interact with their new baby as quickly as possible. Your baby will recognise your voice and skin to skin holding is beneficial to both you and your baby. Nurses will support you to care for your baby’s needs as much as possible. We ask other visitors not to touch babies due to their immature immune systems; we feel it is better for them to wait until the baby is well and at home.

Breastfeeding your preterm infant is still possible; in fact, we encourage you to provide breast milk for your baby. Until your baby is able to breastfeed, you will need to establish a milk supply by expressing your breast milk with a pump or by hand. Your milk can then be stored until required. Pre-term babies can begin to suck from the breast after about 33 weeks gestation. While developing their sucking and swallowing technique they can tire easily and may appear to play at the breast either licking or taking a few sucks before falling asleep. This is a normal process. You will be supported by our nursing team and breastfeeding advisors to assist and advise you in establishing successful breastfeeding. Pre-term babies are fed via a naso or orogastric tube until they are able to establish either breast or bottle feeding.

Your newborn baby may need to be monitored closely and may need to receive intravenous fluids or drugs. A great deal of the equipment you will see around your baby is routine – ECG leads on your baby’s chest assist us in monitoring his heart rate and breathing and the probe with a light, possibly on his foot or wrist, allows us to monitor how much oxygen is circulating in his blood. Please ask the nurse caring for your baby to explain the equipment to you; he/she will be more than happy to do this.

Every member of our team would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, so please feel relaxed in approaching us. We will do all we can to answer your questions and queries.

We usually say, aim for your due date. Babies born nearer their full term may be home before this time. Some very premature babies may still need to be looked after in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit beyond their due date. Normally we expect that your baby will be feeding either by breast or bottle and gaining weight and without medical concerns.

You may be introduced to one of our neonatal community nurses prior to your baby’s discharge. If this is the case you will be invited to a discharge planning meeting whereby your family needs in preparing for home will be discussed. The community neonatal nurses’ normally visit once or twice a week and become less frequent as your needs require. If you do not need our community team involvement your health visitor will be your main support once you are home. They will have been updated on your baby's treatment during your stay in NICU and on discharge. Health visitors should visit you at home within 48 hours of your discharge. Your baby will then be followed up regularly at their clinic.