Comfort Care

If I choose comfort care as my treatment choice what sort of delivery will I have?

The delivery can be the same as for any other baby. The obstetrician and midwifery team caring for you during pregnancy will discuss your wishes with you prior to delivery. There need be very little monitoring and in most cases, a Caesarean section would not be necessary unless the mother showed signs of physical distress.

It would still be very important that the mother and father felt involved with the birth and that they have the opportunity to make the delivery as memorable as they wished.

Caring for your baby in hospital

After the birth of a terminally ill baby families may wish to stay in the hospital until the baby dies. They will be surrounded by a caring team who will suppor the family through the days after the birth.
You would be accommodated in a single room with your baby in the neonatal unit so that you could be directly supported by the staff.
Most parents are concerned that their baby might suffer or be in pain. The doctors and nurses will ensure that the baby is kept comfortable and will support you in giving whatever care is necessary for the baby.
Friends, relatives and other children would be able to visit freely.
During this time parents would be encouraged to build memories of the baby through the taking of photos and the collecting of mementos.
Representatives of religious faiths can visit and services can be held at the hospital.
The main aim of this special time is to allow families to be as involved with their child as they would like, whilst ensuring that the baby is comfortable. The hospital bereavement team will be at hand to offer help and support both before the baby's death and in the days after.

Who will help us if we want to take the baby home?

On occasions some parents wish to care for their baby at home and they will be supported by the community neonatal nurses in liaison with the doctors from the neonatal unit.

In some areas of the country there are specialist teams of doctors and nurses sometimes linked to a children's hospice who support parents who wish their baby/child to die at home. The staff on the neonatal unit where your baby will be initially after birth will be able to give you information about how care is provided in your individual area.

Parents who have chosen to do this have felt that it has given them the opportunity to look after their baby in the more relaxed environment of their own home.

Following the baby's death, parents will be given the opportunity to discuss their wishes about the funderal arrangements with their local funeral director and any religious groups that they are involved with.