After your baby is born – Postnatal care

If your baby is born at Worcestershire Royal Hospital between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy and is well, you will be cared for on the Transitional Care Unit (TCU). Here we can help your baby learn to feed. All babies are different, but this can sometimes take up to two weeks.

TCU is a small unit caring for between five and nine babies and their mums. Our aim is to provide the extra care and support you need to enable you to feel happy and confident when your baby is ready to go home. You and your baby will be cared for by midwives, neonatal nurses and nursery nurses.

If your baby is born before 34 weeks gestation and has spent some time on the neonatal intensive care unit, you may also spend some time on TCU. This is to help your baby develop until they are well enough to go home.

Although most of our babies are born early, we also care for any baby and their mum who may need extra help or support. Unfortunately, partners cannot stay if you are on TCU unless you are in a side room.

Following the birth of your baby on the labour ward or Meadow Birth Centre an electronic tag is attached to your baby's ankle. This will stay on your baby on the postnatal ward. In the rare event the tag is detected as leaving the ward, an alarm system is activated and security staff are informed.

All entrances to the maternity unit are security-controlled and we also have CCTV. To help us keep the unit secure, please do not let anybody else in or out of the unit. Staff will always be on hand to enable you to get in and out of the ward.

Jaundice in newborn babies is common and usually harmless. It causes yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. The medical term for jaundice in babies is neonatal jaundice.

Yellowing of the skin can be more difficult to see in brown or black skin. It might be easier to see on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.

Other symptoms of newborn jaundice can include:

• dark, yellow urine (a newborn baby's urine should be colourless)
• pale-coloured poo (it should be yellow or orange)

The symptoms of newborn jaundice usually develop 2 days after the birth and tend to get better without treatment by the time the baby is about 2 weeks old. But it is important that you let us know if you think your baby has signs of jaundice so that we can check if you need treatment.

Your baby will be examined for signs of jaundice within 72 hours of being born as part of the newborn examination (NIPE). Once you go home your community midwife will check your baby for jaundice however if you have any concerns between these checks then please contact your community midwife sooner.

Most babies won’t need treatment because the symptoms normally pass within 10 to 14 days, although they can occasionally last longer. Treatment is usually only recommended if tests show very high levels of bilirubin in a baby's blood. Tests can be carried out on the postnatal ward and at home if needed. If your baby does require treatment this will usually be on the postnatal ward.

For further information about jaundice please visit: Newborn jaundice - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

If you are experiencing feeding difficulties and suspect your baby of having a tongue tie (sometimes known as frenulotomy or ankyloglossia), or if a tongue tie has been diagnosed by a health professional, a referral may be made to our specialist midwives in infant feeding / tongue tie practitioners.

Please see our infant feeding page for more information and how to self-refer.

Once you are happy to go home with your baby you will be discharged. It can sometimes take some time for us to complete the discharge paperwork. We will let you know when we start the discharge process to give you plenty of time to pack up your belongings and arrange transport home.

Your community midwife will come and see you at your home (or the address you will be staying at) if you decide to stay with family or elsewhere the day after you are discharged from hospital.

Please see this short animation about and give you lots of important information that you need to know now that you have had your baby.

Useful contact numbers once you have gone home:

Triage (Open 24 hours a day) - 01905 760571

Feeding advice line - (24 hours for babies under 6 weeks) 01905 760571

Postnatal ward - 01905 760570

Before you leave

Please check your bedspace thoroughly before you leave to make sure you have all your belongings with you. This includes any medication in your bedside locker.

Please ensure you have the appropriate car seat to take your baby home in.

Choosing a baby car seat - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Have a look at the leaflet section in your BadgerNotes to access useful resources for when you are at home. There are information leaflets on caring for your baby at night, safe sleep, jaundice, postnatal exercises, contraception plus many more.

We encourage all our new parents to provide feedback on our services through the friends and family Test.

Please use this link to provide feedback on your experience to help us to improve the service we offer to you:

Provide your feedback.