Staff at North Wales Neonatal Units Providing Extra Support to New Mothers With Premature Children

New mums with premature babies are receiving more support than ever when it comes to breastfeeding and bonding with their child.

Neonatal Units at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Ysbyty Gwynedd and Glan Clwyd, who care for sick and premature babies, are currently starting their journey towards achieving their Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accreditation.

The BFI award involves training and practice to promote breastfeeding for maternity, health visiting, neonatal and children’s centres services. The standards involved are designed to provide parents with the best possible care to build close and loving relationships with their baby. It also provides information on how best to feed their baby in ways which will support optimum health and development.

Christine Thompson, the BFI lead nurse at the neonatal unit in Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said: “Staff here in the neonatal unit in Wrexham Maelor have a programme of training and updates to enable them to effectively support breastfeeding and breastmilk feeding mothers.

“We encourage all parents to spend as much time as possible with their babies in skin-to-skin care. This has many benefits, which include helping the transition from tube feeding to breastfeeding.

“We will be piloting the use of headphones for parents on ward rounds, so we can continue to maintain confidentiality whilst keeping parents and their babies together. We also expect this intervention to have a positive effect on breastfeeding.”

Senior staff nurse, Julie Grocott, who is leading the BFI initiative at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd’s neonatal unit, said: “Baby Friendly accreditation is based on a set of interlinking evidence-based standards which includes creating close and loving relationships between mothers and babies, encouraging mums to provide breast milk and also to involve parents wherever possible to be involved with the care of their baby.

“As part of the drive to educate staff and mothers about the importance of breast milk, the BFI nursing team created an information board which encouraged a hub for discussion about the benefits of breast milk and how to assist mothers to express milk.

“As breast milk is a living milk with good bacteria that protects babies from infection it reduces the likelihood that an infant will be admitted to hospital.

“Receiving breast milk also reduces the risk of some childhood cancers. There are benefits for mothers who breast feed too, it is less likely that these mothers will suffer from breast and ovarian cancers.”

Lynda Lewis, BFI lead at Ysbyty Gwynedd’s neonatal unit, added: “The nurses, health care support workers and medical staff are working hard to support the mothers to express breast milk for their babies.

“Their ultimate goal is increasing the number of mother’s breast feeding on discharge.” receiving