Episode 6 - Breastmilk for preterm infants

In this final in the preterm birth series episode we will be discussing the impact that preterm birth has on parents.  We will hear from Emma Johnson who will tell us about her personal experience and how she is working as part of a larger network to improve the experience for families that experience preterm birth in the future.

This episode looks at the importance of early breastmilk for preterm infants. Louise Weatherill, neonatal nurse, will be discussing the way their local project has enabled women to start preparation as early as possible in order to ensure feeding can start soon after admission.

Anda Bowring discusses thermoregulation in neonates.  She shares her knowledge of the physiology and why maintaining a stable environment for preterm babies is vital to their ability to survive and thrive.

Optimal cord management is a powerful intervention that has huge benefits for preterm infants. Dr Eleri Adams and Anda Bowring will not only be discussing these benefits but the practical facilitation of delayed cord clamping too.

Most NHS Trusts will now be efficient at ensuring there is appropriate use of magnesium sulphate and intravenous antibiotics in those experiencing preterm birth.  Maria Zammit-Mangion, will be discussing some of the challenges faced with meeting the targets and how we can improve performance for the future.

This episode will discuss the role that antenatal corticosteroids plays in preparing babies that will be born early. Lawrence Impey will be sharing his vast knowledge on this topic and will provide an update on some important changes in practice.

In this episode I will be chatting to Eileen Dudley, regional lead for the Maternal and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme. We will be discussing the importance of ensuring that when birth occurs early, it does so in the most appropriate place. We will learn about reasons why that may not happen and how we can improve this. For more information about the preterm birth education project mentioned in this episode, contact [email protected]