Pathway for parents or carers of babies aged 0 to 6 months receiving neonatal care
Join our learning pathway for all parents, grandparents and carers of babies receiving neonatal care: a journey of understanding your preterm or sick baby while in hospital.
Pathway stages
Bitesize stages for daily steps towards confident parenting and connected relationships.
1. Understanding where you are and what has happened
1.1 Welcome!
1.2 This course
1.3 The hospital
1.4 A few questions
1.5 National resources for you
1.6 Local resources for you
1.7 What’s next
2. Understanding your feelings in hospital
2.1 How are you feeling today?
2.2 More about feelings
2.3 Sensory overload
2.5 Fathers and partners
2.6 Children at home
2.7 Support for you whilst you’re in hospital
2.8 Who is helpful to you and how?
2.9 Containment: the basics
2.10 Containment: learning more
2.11 And more
2.12 Making space in your mind
2.13 Looking after yourself
2.14 Calming you, calming baby
2.15 Helping your baby to process their feelings
2.16 Practice Activity
3. Your safety bubble
3.1 Your safety bubble
3.2 Coping with uncertainty
3.3 Loss
4. Understanding your baby in hospital
4.1 Feedback on the Practice Activity
4.2 Your baby’s development
4.3 Your confidence about parenting in hospital
4.5 Watching your baby
4.6 Your baby is talking to you
4.7 You and your baby’s brain
4.8 You talking to your baby
4.9 Feeding the relationship
4.10 The Three Key Questions
4.11 Practice Activity
5. Preparing for discharge home
5.1 Feedback on the Practice Activity
5.2 How do you feel about bringing your baby home?
5.3 Marking your baby’s homecoming
5.4 Who is helpful to you and how
5.5 Feeding with a tube
5.6 Practical preparations for discharge
6. Review and congratulations
6.1 Congratulations!
6.2 A few questions
6.3 Acknowledgements
About this pathway
If your baby has arrived early or is receiving specialist medical care, your world may feel uncertain. You may be processing worry, exhaustion and hope all at once. Throughout all of this, your baby is growing, developing and forming a deep connection with you, even in the neonatal intensive care unit.
This pathway is designed to support you through neonatal care and beyond, helping you feel confident in building that vital connection with your baby.
This pathway has been developed by our team of experts, including clinical child psychologists, psychotherapists and health practitioners who will introduce you to ideas and techniques for nurturing wellbeing. You’ll also hear about other parent’s experiences.
Everything you will learn in the learning pathway has been informed by experience and is designed to be practical, to help you and your family navigate this time in neonatal care. You will also learn about your own emotional health needs and how to nurture your relationship with your baby.
Along this pathway, created with Dr Davy Evans, a consultant clinical psychologist and neonatal specialist, you will explore:
- Understanding baby brain development in neonatal care
- How to recognise cues for comfort, bonding, and sleep
- Feeding in the Neonatal intensive care unit — whether through tube, or breast
- Building confidence in soothing and caring for your baby
You will also learn about how to cope with feelings of uncertainty, building your confidence when parenting in hospital and preparing to bring your baby home.
We know this might not be the journey you expected, but you are not alone. We’re here to hold your hand through it.
90% learners said they found the pathway helpful
91% learners said they would recommend the pathway to friends and family
