I have done a number of audits of NICU mums' postantal needs in a large
South London Trust. Most of the research I found in this area focuses on
the needs of the babies. There is some literature on the mother's mental
health needs (coping with a sick/pre-term baby) but their own physical
recovery needs are overlooked by researchers. Because these women spend so
much time in hospital seeing their babies they do not get normal community
postantal care. Alternative arrangements for their postnatal examinations
vary and can be ad-hock. There also seems to be little continuity for the
mother's care between Trusts (ie when babies are moved) and little if any
midwifery follow up when the baby is discharged home. I found that in our
Trust NICU mums received a lower standard of postnatal care than the general
population, but were a more high-risk group (more risk factors for both
mental health and physical problems). We have changed our care pathway as
a result.
Yours,
Octavia
-----Original Message-----
From: Lowri Hansford
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 12:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New member!
Hello,
I am a midwife who has recently started a PhD in nursing at Cardiff
University. My area of interest is looking at the needs of mothers whose
babies are admitted to NICU.
I would be so pleased to hear back from anyone with an interest in this area
of research, or any midwives in general!
Many thanks,
Lowri
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