Online learning pathways to support families of preterm and sick babies in NICUs
Co-designed with neonatal consultant and clinical psychologist, Dr Davy Evans, to help support closer relationships for baby and family wellbeing
Understanding your preterm or sick baby in hospital
Understanding your preterm or sick baby now you’re home
Understanding your preterm or sick baby
Dr Davy Evans explains why he helped create this important support for families experiencing neonatal care.
Understanding your preterm and sick baby in hospital
Designed by clinical psychologists, midwives, neonatal care specialists and parents with shared experience, this pathway covers everything from understanding your feelings in hospital to preparing for discharge home with your baby. You will learn about:
- Your emotional wellbeing
- Understanding the NICU ward and hospital environment
- The role of fathers and partners
- Coping with uncertainty
- Your baby’s development
- Feelings around bringing baby home
- Practical preparations for discharge
- Feeding your baby
- Comforting your baby
‘I feel more bonded with my baby now after I have completed this course.’
— Feedback from parent
Understanding your preterm and sick baby now you’re home
Designed by clinical psychologists, midwives, neonatal care specialists and parents with shared experience, this pathway covers settling in at home after discharge from hospital, understanding your baby’s brain, crying, sleeping and feeding. You will learn about:
- Adjusting to being at home
- Understanding your baby’s brain and development
- Understanding how your baby communicates with you
- Ways to respond to your baby’s cries
- Healthy sleep patterns
- Understanding feeding patterns and cues
- The important role dads and partners play
- Your baby’s emotional and physical milestones
- Childcare for your baby
‘I have learned so many new things about my baby, this course is really helpful.’
— Feedback from parent
For fathers
Dads, this is for you too. Both of our preterm and sick baby learning pathways are also designed with consideration for fathers and partners to understand the newborn care provided in hospital and what your baby needs when settling in at home, helping you provide the best possible support. By getting involved and understanding the early stages of development, we’ll help build your confidence together so you can be there for your baby and your partner. Your relationship will be one of the most important to help your baby thrive, so the pathways have tailored sections for you, too!
Grandparents
These learning pathways are designed to be accessible for everyone, and we know how important grandparents are in supporting parent and baby to thrive, whether that’s whilst they’re still in hospital or adjusting to being at home. Togetherness brings you the most recent information to help you understand how your relationship with your adult child plays an important supportive role as they journey through this season of neonatal care with their own baby, and how they might be feeling.
A hand to hold throughout your parenting journey
Siblings or older children of babies experiencing neonatal care may wonder what’s going on and need support themselves. These sibling responsibilities can feel hard to know how to manage alongside hospital visits, but Togetherness offers a hand to hold throughout your parenting.
Tailored pathways and resources will help you learn about childhood development, behaviour, communication and lots more, to help you nurture a relationship with your children that builds confidence, resilience and emotional awareness at every age and stage.
We also have support for understanding your emotional health with pathways designed to support your adult relationships and specialist information on trauma.