Free NICU Awareness A4 Handout

Download a FREE A4 digital handout to help raise awareness of NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care) during antenatal education with a license for antenatal teachers to print and share with clients and use as teaching tools in childbirth education classes.

I've decided to make these free because I'm a NICU mum myself and I want to help spread awareness and support.

I used to think that special care was just for premature babies - but the majority of babies who receive neonatal care are actually born full term. 60% of babies* in NICU are full term (after 37 weeks) and may need support due to infection, issues with breathing, feeding, jaundice or lack of oxygen to the brain.

Around 1 in 7 babies born in the UK are admitted to a neonatal unit. Having an awareness of what to expect and how to feel empowered would help parents cope and lessen their trauma if baby does need medical care, so I am urging antenatal teachers to include special care in their conversations with pregnant women, birth partners and clients - as 1 in 7 of those babies will need it.

Despite my birth trauma, my passion and belief in physiological birth was not dented, and during my second pregnancy I started creating pregnancy and birth art, which led to making birth education downloads for antenatal teachers, doulas and hypnobirthing teachers to use with pregnant women, birth partners and clients. I’d love to help lessen the potential trauma for other parents by spreading awareness about why baby might need special care after birth, and the ways that we can still feel like an empowered parent even when baby is poorly.

I’ve created these handouts which birth workers can download with a licence to print and share with pregnant women, birth partners and clients, and use as teaching tools to have conversations about NICU antenatally - or to help them support families at the time they are in NICU.

"I would have found it so helpful to have had something like what you have created here. Something to give me an insight of NICU life, what I was about to experience, how I could have prepared myself even just a little. I whole heartedly support the need for more information being given around NICU for those who know and those who won’t know that they may require a stay.” - Hannah Johnson

Sev, Breastfeeding Support Lead, runs a NICU parents support group at North Middlesex University Hospital. “The number one subject that comes up in the support group is that people had no idea about NICU beforehand. They all agree that having an understanding of what would happen if their baby was born early or sick would have made their journey easier and less stressful.”

I agree it’s important to focus on the best case scenario, and to picture positive outcomes and a healthy birth - but I don’t feel talking about NICU has to be scary or negative. When the message we’re putting across is one of how to be prepared and empowered - no matter how birth goes - then it can only be a good thing. So I urge antenatal teachers to make it a priority to include awareness of special care in their conversations with pregnant women, birth partners and clients - as 1 in 7 of those families will need it.
https://www.bliss.org.uk/research-campaigns/neonat...

*Note on the use of 'NICU' to encompass other levels of neonatal care: I didn't feel like it was appropriate to go into all the details and different levels of care in this context, as it wouldn't mean much to people who aren't familiar with it all (I think people just use NICU as an umbrella term for the bit of the hospital where poorly babies go?), but I included the link to Bliss statistics on the product pages so people can see more information if they want to.*

Please talk to expectant parents about the potential for a NICU stay, and how they can feel empowered if their baby does need special care.

Bliss charity order free NICU milestone cards https://shop.bliss.org.uk/en/products/parent-resou...

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Copyright and Limited Use Commercial License

The limited use commercial license that comes with this download means that birth workers, doulas, hypnobirthing teachers, prenatal yoga teachers, antenatal educators and midwives can print to share and use with pregnant women, birth partners and clients. By buying this download you are agreeing to the following terms:

The license means you - as an individual - can:

• Print the downloads on paper or card at the size specified
• Give the printouts as handouts to your clients, or use as teaching tools or posters for your business
• You may use use a professional print service or print at home
• Add the images to a Powerpoint presentation to use with clients in person or remotely, as long as the presentation file itself isn't shared digitally
• Share the content using photos or videos of your printed materials on social media

The license DOES NOT allow you to:

• Print the images for any other reason than above or on any other material e.g. on a notebook or mug to give away
• Use the images as part of a product you will sell
• Share the digital files with anyone by email or another method
• Add the digital files to your website or use on social media
• Edit the images or remove my brand name
• Share with other professionals in your organisation

Thank you for respecting the time that has gone into creating this artwork. If you have any questions about the license agreement, please contact me.

Copyright

These handmade images, text and files are copyright of Hannah Thomas of Womb to World Art and sole copyright is retained by them.

Disclaimer: Please note my images are stylised visual representations, and the information is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but I am not a medical professional and therefore there may be words or parts of the drawings that aren't 100% anatomically and medically accurate. My materials are not intended to replace any medical caregiver advice.