80,000 babies spend some time in a neonatal unit every year in the UK because they are born prematurely, sick or both. UK-based child health charity Best Beginnings is proud to be behind the just-launched Small Wonders Change Programme. The Change Programme, is supported by six medical Royal College, UNICEF, more than 15 other organizations and more than 400 professional Champions working within the NHS.

Best Beginnings is a child health charity committed to help all parents in the UK give their baby the healthiest possible start in life. The charity has designed and developed the Small Wonders Change Programme specifically for the parents of premature and sick babies to give the support, knowledge and confidence to be at the corner-stone of their baby’s care in ways that will improve bonding and health outcomes.

Here, Alison Baum, CEO of Best Beginnings tells us why it’s so important to inform and support parents of premature babies.

“There is a large child health gap between the top and bottom of the

socio-economic scale in the UK and across certain ethnic communities. These gaps lead to premature birth, serious illnesses, developmental disorders and deaths in early infancy. For example, the infant mortality rate in the poorest parts of the Midlands is many times greater than in affluent parts of Hampshire.
There are many reasons a premature birth can occur and this new initiative is being rolled out nationwide across hospitals to ensure parents of premature and sick babies, wherever their babies are born get the same high quality family centered care and are made to feel supported immediately.

I set up Best Beginnings and left a career as a Producer and Director in the BBC Science Department after both of my sons, born two years apart were born with significant health problems and I had first-hand experience of the challenges that can go with having a sick child. The Small Wonders DVD has been the culmination of two years of intensive work and incredibly collaboration. It has been designed to

help inform you of things to expect within a neonatal unit as well as practical advice on touching, talking to, feeding and holding your baby, right through to going home. The DVD contains a series of 12 films that follows 14 families on their real life journey from birth to first contact with their baby to one year on and its split into these films so you can view what is most relevant for you.

Best Beginnings worked closely with over 200 families to ensure the films were based on evidence of practices that are known to support health outcomes. The DVD includes expert advice and guidance in improving child health including the benefits of breast milk and skin to skin contact with baby along with ‘show how’ examples of these practices. We have worked with 14 courageous families who let our cameras into their lives to share their experiences to help other parents in the future. Parents include the wonderful Vicki and Michael from London whose son Jacob was born 14 weeks early. In the DVD you follow Vicki and Michael’s highs and lows as their son Jacob was born, and they spent time caring for him in the neonatal unit before going home after a three month stay.

Our aim is to provide help to all parents with a premature or sick baby and to encourage them to be at the centre of their baby’s care. We have so far distributed over 65,000 copies of the DVD to 120 of the UKs neonatal units were staff are developing clear plans on how they will effectively use the DVD in their hospital. Winston Churchilll and Sir Isaac Newton were both born prematurely and went on to achieve great success later on in life. Through the Small Wonders Change Programme we aim to give parents across the UK the confidence and the knowledge to maximize the potential of their Small Wonders.”

In addition to the Small Wonders DVD being available for free in neonatal units across the UK, it can also be purchased at the Best Beginnings website where you’re also able to gain further information on the programme. Visit www.bestbeginnings.org.uk/small-wonders.

The Small Wonders initiative is one of Best Begininnings projects to help reduce child health inequalities across the UK. To find out more about how you can get involved log on to www.bestbeginnings.org.uk."

June 2012

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