Unexpected Beginnings: The Neonatal Unit

This episode looks at how it’s almost expected for parents to struggle with their mental health when they have spent time in neonatal. The unit is traumatic and intense and parents can spend weeks feeling on edge and fearful and that is bound to have an impact. Here we look at some of the common mental health issues parents can have, at why they occur and at some of the support that is available. 

There are also some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospitaland funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

Going home is everyone’s goal and there is a sense of relief that theterrifying part of your baby’s life is over but often it’s not that simple and parents can find being out of a clinical environment challenging. In this episode we look at some of those challenges and how to tackle them

There are some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospitaland funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

This episode is about settling into neonatal. Everyone’s journey is different both in terms of the time a baby might spend in the unit and the obstacles they might face. Despite this there are a lot of common thoughts and feelings that parents share and we look at some of these in this episode

There are also some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospitaland funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

In this episode we meet Michelle and Tim whose daughter Freya was born at 25 weeks and at 26 weeks was diagnosed with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). This episode looks at Freya’s surgery and the neonatal experience that went with it.

You can find out more about NEC here

There are also some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospitaland funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

This episode looks at how hard it can be when you have children at home as well as in the neonatal unit. How can you even begin to include them? Should you include them? How can you split your time so that everyone feels loved and supported?

There are also some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospitaland funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

This episode looks at practical ways of helping you to bond with your baby whilst remembering that it is hard on neonatal and it is common for things to feel difficult.

There aresome charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospitaland funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

This episode looks at how common it is to find it difficult to bond with your baby especially when your baby is on a neonatal unit. It looks at different parents experiences and the scientific and biological reasons why bonding can be hard. More information on this topic can be found here:

There are also some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospital and funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast– creative audio productions. and was presented byCaroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

This episode looks at what it’s like meeting your baby for the first time when your baby has had to be taken to neonatal. They could be premature or fullterm and often don’t look how you imagined whether that’s because of their size, development or the wires and medical equipment they’re attached to.

More information on the issues raised in this episode can be found by following these links

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospital and funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast – creative audio productions. and was presented by Caroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

Having a baby who has to go to neonatal can be scary. Whether your baby is premature or full term, it's not something we hope for and often can happen unexpectedly or with little notice. This episode looks at what the neonatal unit is, who it's for and what you can expect.

More information on the issues raised in this episode can be found by following these links

What is Neonatal care

Leeds Children’s Hospital neonatal care

There are also some charitable organisations that can be really helpful including

• Bliss – they offer advice for parents of premature and sick babies, including looking after your mental health
• Mind – for better mental health

Views and experiences shared in this podcast belong to the individuals, shared in the interests of helping others and do not constitute medical advice. For medical advice please contact your GP, midwife, health visitor, local Maternity Assessment Unit or 111. In an emergency please dial 999.

This podcast was made with Leeds Children’s hospital and funded by Leeds Hospital’s Charity.

This podcast was recorded and produced by Under the Mast – creative audio productions. and was presented by Caroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike 

This podcast looks at the highs and the lows of life on the neonatal unit. Recorded with Leeds Children's Hospital and funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity, this podcast is hosted by Caroline Verdon and Kerry Bickerdike .

They have both had babies on the neonatal unit and know first hand how hard it can be. The hope is that by sharing their stories and those of other parents, this podcast will be able to hold your hand at whatever point you are in the journey