Spotlight
Celebrating outstanding breastfeeding results in NICU
Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Musgrove Park Hospital is celebrating exceptional breastfeeding results that place the service well above the national average and demonstrate the extraordinary dedication of colleagues who support babies born as early as 27 weeks.
The latest National Neonatal Audit Programme data shows that 91.2% of babies on the unit received breast milk in their first two days of life, and 78.7% were still receiving breast milk when they went home. These results are remarkable, especially for families whose early days with their baby look very different from what they had expected. They reflect a strong commitment from our teams to give every baby the strongest possible start.
Breast milk is hugely important for premature babies. It protects against infection, is easier to digest, supports healthy brain development and lowers the risk of serious complications and long term illness. Because NICU babies often cannot feed directly at the breast, the team works closely with families from the very beginning, supporting them to express as soon as possible after birth. Parents are taught how to hand express which and to use the breast pump. Hand expressing is useful for removing the first precious drops of colostrum.
Mothers are supported to express within the first hour after birth so their babies can receive this early “liquid gold”. Colleagues help mothers to pump eight to ten times in a day, using equipment designed to mimic a newborn’s natural feeding pattern, and encourage families to rent hospital grade pumps for home use so they can continue expressing confidently.
A key reason behind the unit’s success is its commitment to making the NICU feel like a second home. Families have open access day and night, are welcomed on ward rounds and are encouraged to be hands on in their baby’s care, parents are supported by an amazing team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
The unit has six refurbished bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, snack trolley, families are provided all meals whilst on the unit, laundry facilities and complimentary parking which all help ease the pressures that come with having a baby in intensive care. This means that parents don’t have to leave the unit and feel welcome and supported to stay by their babies side. Parents also have access to emotional support from the unit’s clinical psychologist, who offers one to one support as well as meditation sessions for parents and babies.
After discharge, the team runs a group where parents can return with their babies for advice from colleagues including a dietitian and physiotherapist, helping families feel supported in their baby’s development beyond the hospital.
These achievements build on several major successes for the unit, including UNICEF Baby Friendly accreditation and the Bliss bronze award, with the team now aiming for UNICEF Gold and have also just achieved Bliss Silver from the Bliss Baby Charter, which Cathy Bowditch has been hard at work supporting the team to achieve.
It signifies that the unit has moved beyond standard medical treatment to provide a high accredited standard of family centred care. Bliss, is the leading UK charity for babies born premature or sick. It confirms that the unit is deeply committed to empowering parents as equal partner in their baby’s journey, rather than just visitors.
It ensures that while the medical team managed the clinical needs, the parents are supported, informed and equipped to be the primary caregivers their baby needs. The true value of the award is measured in improved health of the babies and the well-being of their families, including faster recovery, increased breastfeeding, as well as reduced trauma for parents and increased confidence for discharge home with their babies.
Achieving the silver award is a significant undertaking that requires a cultural shift within the NICU and can take significant preparation and involves a cycle of auditing, action planning and evidence gathering, and achieving a 75% or higher score across all Bliss principles (e.g., care, communication, facilities) and has no red ratings. It ensures the care is consistent for all families whose babies are on the unit.
Karla Jenkins, our infant feeding lead at MPH, added “I am so proud of the whole team. These results speak for themselves and show how much parents have learnt from colleagues, and how well colleagues have supported them to breastfeed through a really challenging time for some parents. The impact this has on premature babies is enormous.”
We visited the NICU, stepping into a cosy environment with low lights, quiet care and warm blankets where we look after NICU babies to show parents how we make the unit a home away from home, including footage of Mum Kelly with her daughter Cora who stayed in the NICU for 71 days with her parents, and has now welcomed a new little sister Bonnie who stayed on the ward briefly after birth as well.
The family came to visit the team and help show new parents what life looks like on the ward, and it was clear from interactions with all the colleagues just how much it felt like home for Kelly after such a long stay with Cora. Hear from Karla, Kelly and the team on the NICU here: