Unexpected Beginnings: The Neonatal Unit – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of 'Unexpected Beginnings: The Neonatal Unit,' hosts Caroline Verdon and Kerry McCarthy dive into the challenges and support surrounding breastfeeding in neonatal care.

This episode features expert insights from consultant neonatologist Dr. Emily Shaw and personal stories from Mum Leah Frost about her complex journey with her son Max and daughter Lila. The discussion emphasizes the importance of breast milk, the available support and the emotional hurdles that are often faced.

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You can find out more about breastfeeding support both in and out of the hospital here and here

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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 McCarthy

This episode looks at the stresses and strains that having a newborn on a neonatal unit can have on Dads and non-birthing partners.

We speak to Becky and Dan. When they had baby Alf, he went to neonatal, Becky was very unwell and so was taken to the postnatal ward and Dan was rushing around between the two, trying to be everywhere at once. From feelings of helplessness, struggles with bonding and generally feeling completely overwhelmed - these emotions are really common.

In Leeds, at both St James' hospital and the LGI, support is available especially for Dads and non-birthing partners from Dad Matters. Dad Matters has local organisations all over the country and exists to support Dads and partners in the first 1001 days of their parenting journey. It’s looked after by the Leeds Home Start team and its Dad Matters coordinator is Darren O’Donovan…

If you'd like to find out more about the support available to you, you can find out more information about Dad Matters Leeds and Home Start Leeds here. You can also contact your GP, midwife and/or health visitor.

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

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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 McCarthy

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