You may wish to stay at the hospital where your baby has been looked after since they were born, you may be able to take your baby home, to a hospital nearer to your home, or to a children’s hospice.
You will first need to plan with your care team about the transfer to your chosen place to ensure that your baby will be medically fit to travel and is kept as safe and comfortable as possible on the journey.
If it is possible and you would like to take your baby home, it will be important that all your needs are assessed so that any appropriate medical and nursing support can be put in place.
There may be a community children’s palliative care team available to support you at home. These teams come in different forms and can provide care in different ways, with doctors, nurses, pharmacists and family support workers as part of the team.
Children's hospices
You may have met with a member of a local children’s hospice team on the neonatal unit and already have a good knowledge of how the hospice can support you.
Children’s hospices can provide ongoing care for your baby and emotional, social and spiritual support for you and your family. Children’s hospice services can deliver this care in a purpose built building and/or in the home (commonly called ‘hospice at home’).
Services may vary from hospice to hospice, but can include:
• Support for the entire family (including siblings, grandparents and the extended family)
• End of life care and use of a cool room or cooled cot; also known as a cuddle cot
• Practical help, advice and information
• Specialist short break care
• Specialist therapies, for example, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, play and music therapy
• Bereavement support
• Provision of information, support, education and training where needed for parents or carers
