A Guiding Hand for Families in Special Care Nurseries - Digital - Book - Page 72
At home
Visitors
Don’t be surprised if people don’t come to visit at first. Family and friends
sometimes feel they should leave parents alone to bond or they may think
that the worst is over. This is often when support is needed the most, as
parents no longer have the help of hospital staff.
Babies who have been in a neonatal unit are often at higher risk of getting an
infection than other infants, so you need to be careful where you take baby
and who comes to visit. You don’t need to stay in your house alone for the first
months after your baby comes home but you do need to take extra care.
Medical staff may tell you to:
• Limit the number of visitors to your home.
• Limit the number of people who touch your baby.
• Avoid taking your baby to crowded places, such as shopping centres,
supermarkets and parties.
If you do have visitors:
• Make sure they wash their hands before touching the baby
• Do not let adults or children who are sick, have a fever
or have been exposed to an illness near your baby
• Tell visitors they can’t smoke in your house,
or near your baby
This does not mean that you are confined to home – take
your baby for a walk in nice weather and go visit friends
and relatives. Just make sure that your baby is going to a
home that is smoke-free and illness-free.
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation has a set of downloadable
cards that you can use to communicate your wishes such as:
• “Please stay away if you are sick”
• “Please wash your hands before touching mine”
Cards can be found at: www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au
Life’s Little Treasures Foundation | Supporting Families of Premature & Sick Babies
Image: Anna Shvets, Pexels
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