Warrington Hospital Maternity Unit

Congratulations to our maternity team, who received Team of the Month from back in May 2017 ( delayed due to two of the staff being on maternity leave), when they made Avalyn's day when she came a midwife for the day at the age of 6!
Here is the link to the video of her day with us:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqqPs_55M q0&t=51s

From one of our lovely maternity support workers who is also mummy to a little boy:
“I struggled with breastfeeding from the off, from the sheer exhaustion of labour and the haziness from the drugs I just couldn’t get my little boy to latch. I didn’t start my breastfeeding journey until I got home, the first time I got him to successfully latch and feed I was over the moon, there was nothing more satisfying than knowing I could provide nourishment to my baby. But soon the pre...ssures of needing to be the perfect mum and housewife kicked in, I struggled to keep up with the demand of feeding as well as the housework,cooking,washing. I felt a massive pressure to cope and to let everybody else know I could cope. Bottle feeding gave me the freedom to do those things. However me bottle feeding was more for the benefit of others than it was for the benefit of myself and baby. From then on I began to punish myself, I felt like a failure and like I couldn’t do the simple things such as provide my little one with my own milk, because I was too consumed in trying to be the perfect mum. The advice I want to give all new mums is, try not to do it all. I know it’s hard when you have a basket full of washing and dishes in the sink, but if you want to stay in bed all day and get through the cluster feeding with Netflix and snacks then you do that, the housework will still be there tomorrow but your baby with be a day older. Most importantly, whatever the outcome, don’t beat yourself up! You’re doing amazing whether you’re breast or bottle feeding and that little person will always look up to you as their whole world.”
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Emma, Phil and Reggie
Our little bundle of joy, Reggie, was born 7 weeks early so you could say he was quite a shock to say the least. Being this early Reggie was placed under the care of the Neonatal Unit in Warrington.
He was born at 10:54am and I was able to express breast milk for him the very same day. It was all extremely new to me being our first child but the support from the team was amazing. I was issued with a breast pump and all the accompanying bits and bobs and ...was shown how to do it by the team. It started off only small amounts but anything was a godsend they told me. They were so encouraging and supportive especially at the beginning when I was only producing little amounts. They taught me not to be deflated and reassured me that I was doing a great job.
Initially Reggie was fed through a tube. Myself and my partner were shown how to do the feeds ourselves whilst he was under their care. This meant a great deal to us as although we could not take him home we were still able to help care for him and provided the things our little boy needed, this was just what we needed. He was having expressed breast milk and we were able to feed him, a slight bit of normality in what felt like a hazy/traumatic experience.
Once Reggie was strong enough the team helped show me how to breastfeed, again a massive learning curve for me. Without the support I don't think I would have managed it. I started to try to breastfeed before every normal feed so that he would get used to it. Whilst he was still learning the rest of the feed came through the tube.
We made the decision to bottle-feed Reggie with expressed breast milk, something that worked better for me and my partner. A decision that was supported by the team.
Reggie was under their care for around 2 weeks, as you can imagine it was a very emotional and tough time for us. I can honestly say that we owe them the world. The care they gave Reggie and the support they provided Phil and I was second to none! What a team!
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
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Midwife and fabulous mummy to two boys and a girl:
“My best supporter was my husband. I got lots of judgement for feeding past one year, even more past two but despite it all I had him to support me to continue our journey until it came to a natural end. We're now 10 weeks into our final breastfeeding journey.”

Chloe, Andy and Lincoln
Our journey was a complete surprise as Lincoln was born at 33+5 weeks. Our breast feeding journey started on day 2 when I was able to express my milk for Lincoln and then it went from there. He wasn’t able to latch on for the first week due to being so little, however it has gone from strength to strength. Initially Lincoln was so little he found it difficult and he would tire quickly. He also had treatment for jaundice which sometimes makes the babies... sleepy. He is growing into a big boy now. He is now having expressed breast milk and formula, which works for us.
The support to breastfeed on the Neonatal Unit at Warrington was really good and everyone was very helpful. I was worried he was so little he wouldn’t be able to do it but the support is what got us here and they told me that we could do it. The good thing with expressing my milk was I knew that he was getting it through the night when I wasn’t with him.
Expressing was difficult to begin with, but then it just came on quite quickly. My advice to anyone who finds themselves in our situation with a neonate in an incubator is to persevere, skin to skin at every opportunity and express as much as possible.
Pictured with Suzy and Sarah, our breastfeeding coordinator.
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From a wonderful midwife and mum to a little girl:
“I remember the first night in hospital when she very typically fed all night every 5 minutes on and off - she was up down, up down, in and out of the cot, I was going crossed eyed but I didn’t care. I loved her so much and was so happy she wasn’t struggling to feed that it didn’t matter how tired I was. I remember just putting her on and off and watching Paddington bear the movie between nodding off. It was so hard but I had... so much excitement in my belly at the same time.
Top tips from me : join a Facebook breastfeeding group, there’s nothing these women don’t know. Never sit down to feed without a charged phone, a drink and the remote or book to hand. Cheese cake and millionaire shortcake is essential!
My biggest achievement is actually making it to my best friends hen party in Tenerife. I didn’t want to go really but I felt I had to - but I was damned if she was having anything but breast milk. Everyone thought it would end our breastfeeding journey but it didn’t - I expressed 5 litres of milk and she jumped straight back to it when I got back.
Breastfeeding can be hard - the reality is pulled hair, yanked on nipples, false eyelashes pulled off ( true story), feet to the face and I’ve struggled with people who don’t understand that demand feeding doesn’t mean strict four hour feeding schedules. But it’s the answer to every problem and I swear the reason my daughter never cried as a baby is because she never learnt to because she never had to wait for milk or comfort. The joy it brings you is something you can’t begin to imagine. One of the first proper sentences my little one has said up to now is ‘nice milk mummy’.
My husband has been an amazing support - he fully backs up my decision to breast feed, and has done anything he can to help with it. He tells everyone who will listen ‘his wife does it all’. He gets involved in loads of ways, especially before bed, he baths her every night so they have their time together. His confidence in me gives me the confidence to keep going as long as my girl wants to x
Nb: photos are first feed captured on film, first birthday, and expressing at work while shovelling down my soup 😂”
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Alison, Mike and Ruby
Our journey with Ruby started on Valentine’s Day, when she was born at 26+4 weeks. She was transferred to Liverpool Women’s Hospital for 6 weeks, as she was very small and then came back to Warrington for 7 weeks.
Our breast feeding journey started at Liverpool with the neonatal nurses showing me how to express the first milk for her. She was being fed by a feeding tube at that point, so was only on ½ ml of milk every two hours. So I expressed that by h...and every couple of hours. In Liverpool they have a breast feeding room, which was quite good and it was a good place to go and chat to other parents and share stories, cry and then go back to the unit and be brave for the babies. To be honest if we didn’t have that room and the encouragement from the nurses we may not have expressed, as I hadn’t decided if I was going to breast feed at that time, as she had come so early. They were so encouraging that I decided to have a go straight away. They showed me how to use the electric breast pumps and I got a pump to take home, so I could express away from the unit.
She latched on to feed when she was at Warrington when she was about 10 weeks old, and it was another 3 weeks before we were discharged home. She didn’t really do a lot at first, but we persisted. She took a while to pick it up. They were fantastic here; supportive and always on hand to help. Bottle feeding is quicker, but I wanted to breastfeed and they were very supportive of Ruby and me. I asked a few times am I doing the right thing and Suzy and the team were very helpful, they said “you do what feels right.” When we got home she became more established and put on weight and we haven’t looked back. Perseverance is the key! I am really enjoying breastfeeding and without the support and encouragement from the team Ruby and I might have missed out on this experience.
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From a gorgeous midwife and (very busy!) Mum to three boys:
“It was really important to me to have skin to skin in Theatre after my elective C Section and it was such a special moment.
At first I struggled to juggle the needs of my older children whilst breastfeeding the youngest.
... But the boys soon learnt that the baby needed feeding. Just like they needed feeding.”
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Samantha, Dean and Rae
Our journey started on 30th March, when Rae made an appearance at 33+5 weeks. I wasn’t originally going to breastfeed, I had planned to formula feed, but when we found out that she was going to come early, I wanted to try breast feeding because of all of its benefits and we wanted to give her the best start in life. But she was too small to latch on, so I expressed for her and she was able to have my milk by bottle. When she was on the unit it was easie...r for me to provide her breastmilk as I had more time to express, but she was never interested in latching on, so she’s always been a fed by bottle. She is 15 weeks old now and we managed 12 weeks of all breast milk, she has now moved to formula feeds. The support to breast feed on the unit has been really good. All the team were very welcoming and supportive, which is what you need when coming on to the neonatal unit as it can be a scary experience. We knew she would be in here when she was born, so we had an opportunity to come and have a look around before she was born. We met Erica, one of the staff nurses who supports families with breast feeding, and had a chance to discuss expressing and how to initiate it. The whole team were supportive and kept us informed throughout her care, we couldn’t have asked for anymore.
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Our midwives share their breastfeeding experiences this week. Today from a lovely mummy to two boys:
“Tips from old breast feeders to new- yes they’re hungry!!! As a new breastfeeding mum I was always asked the same questions “are they feeding again?” “Are you sure you’ve got enough milk?” “They’re still waking overnight at 4 months??!!!” The answer to all the above is yes!! Yes they’re hungry but not just for food, they’re hungry for comfort, for closeness, for warmth, for s...afety, for a cuddle, for that special bond breastfeeding creates....so please be confident in your abilities To provide optimal nourishment for your little bundle and never be pressured into trying to force a strict feeding routine on them! Once they start to ween you’ll become less of a necessity and more of a comfort and may start to long for the feeling of being needed xx”
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Krystyna, Adam, Olivia and Alan
Our journey started on 13th April when Olivia and Alan were born at 29 weeks. They were born at Warrington Hospital however later required a higher level of care, and were transferred to Liverpool Women’s Hospital. They returned to Warrington Neonatal Unit on the 6th May 2018.
The team at Liverpool Women’s supported me to express my breast milk straight away. Due to the babies being premature they were unable to latch on and feed for themselves..., therefore they were fed by a feeding tube. The team at Warrington supported us to carry on our feeding journey when we returned.
Alan and Olivia are thriving and are growing. We decided to mix feed them with expressed breast milk and formula. They are gaining weight at about 200-300grams a week, which is what we want for them. They feed every 2-3 hours and feed 80-100mls each feed. They wake up quite a bit at night time and like to feed a lot at night. I expressed my milk for Alan and Olivia for around 12 weeks and I know we have been able to give them the best possible start in life.
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Chantal, Simon and George Chantal and Simon’s journey in to parenthood was a bit of a dramatic one. They were on holiday in Tenerife when Chantal was 30 weeks pregnant and her waters broke. She attended the main hospital on the island but was transferred to another where they specialised in neonatal care. During that time they contacted their consultant here at Warrington Hospital, Dr Arya Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who worked with the hospital to get them both... home via air ambulance to have George at Warrington. They arrived home and George arrived by c-section at 31 +5 weeks. They started their breast feeding journey the day after George was born by being shown a Small Wonders video on how to express. Chantal explains “I was anxious because this is all new to me, however, the team at Warrington Hospital were very supportive”. The lady came in to show me how to hand express and within a few minutes my body started to produce colostrum and I was delighted. Over the next few days my milk came in and I was able to feed George via his feeding tube. Although I was unable to breast feed George due to him being premature, expressing my milk for George made me feel like I was part of his recovery too. Five days later he latched on perfectly, but because he was so little he tired quickly. Chantal recalls “It was exhilarating to see him latch on and with more and more practice he was able to feed really well.” When George became more established with breastfeeding, we were able to gradually decrease his tube feeds and after being on NNU for 3.5 weeks his feeding tube was taken out. We were able to exclusively breastfeed which made us feel so proud. Our breast feeding journey so far has been extremely rewarding and although it can be tiring, we are absolutely loving it. I would encourage any woman to breastfeed if they are able to do so, as it really is an amazing journey that you will embark on. Chantal and Simon were able to stay in the Rainbow Room just off the unit for two nights prior to George’s discharge home to establish feeding at night with the unit close by if support was needed. George spent a total of 4 weeks on the unit. Chantal, Simon and George have told their story to the Warrington Guardian to support World Breastfeeding Week and to talk about their breastfeeding journey on our neonatal unit, which is out today.
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It’s World Breastfeeding Week and us midwives are celebrating by sharing our own stories of breastfeeding success and challenges, and maybe some top tips and insight along the way.
We love supporting you on your journeys as new parents and helping you to make the right decisions for your family when it comes to infant feeding.
If you’d like to share anything with us, we’d love to hear from you - your first feed, your biggest achievement, your biggest challenge, your best supporter, your top tips?

It's World Breastfeeding Week and our Neonatal Unit are taking over the facebook this week to tell you about breastfeeding neonates and also will be introducing families who have breastfeed during their time on the unit.
Warrington Neonatal Unit looks after babies from 27 weeks of pregnancy and over 700 grams (about 1 pound and 8 ounces), although sometimes babies are earlier and smaller receiving their initial and later care with us but needing a stay in the larger units in ...Liverpool or elsewhere. We have intensive care, high dependency and special care cots, looking after babies from Cheshire and Merseyside and sometimes further away. These babies may require a variety of support including ventilation or other breathing support, antibiotics, IV or tube feeds feeding and post-surgical care. There are approximately 40 staff working on the unit supporting our families. Our lead Neonatologist is Dr Webb, Clinical Director Dr Satish, our lead nurse being Sarah Jackson and ward manager Deb Weaver. We are currently taking part in a Breastfeeding pilot within the Cheshire and Merseyside Neonatal Network to help raise awareness and improve the support offered to breastfeeding families to continue to breastfeed. We have a dedicated Neonatal Infant Feeding Team which supports families with all aspects of feeding from expressing, breastfeeding and formula feeding. Our aim is to ensure that all families regardless of how they wish to feed their baby receive consistent up to date advice. BLISS suggests that: • The first milk that a mother expresses is called colostrum, and is thicker and more yellow in colour than breastmilk. Later on, the amount of milk you express may change depending on the time of day and how you feel. However, any milk that a mother expresses will benefit the baby. • Babies don’t normally learn to coordinate the sucking, swallowing and breathing needed for feeding until around 34-36 weeks of pregnancy. If babies are born before this time, they may need to have the breastmilk via a feeding tube. This goes through their nose or mouth into their stomach. The staff on the neonatal unit can show parents how to feed the baby this way. • Mothers transfer protective antibodies to their babies through the placenta during the last three months of pregnancy. This process is broken when the baby is born prematurely. For this reason, premature babies are especially vulnerable to infection. The good news is that mothers also give their babies antibodies in breastmilk. By providing breast milk, the baby gets an extra line of defence. • Breast milk is very easy for babies to digest and is absorbed easily, which then in turn reduces the chance of babies getting necrotising enterocolitis. • Breast milk provides nutrients, growth factors and hormones that help babies grow and develop during the vital early months after birth
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Daisy Maisies Day Nursey in Widnes are supporting our Neonatal Unit with a Summer Fair on Saturday 18th August. Pop along and enjoy.

Cheshire and Merseyside have an issue with the supply of baby box’s currently. Unfortunately we have no box’s available at present and have suspended our distribution at all 3 children centres until we receive a delivery of box’s. The baby box company are expecting a delivery of box’s mid August. We will keep you updated via the Facebook site as to when box’s will be available, alternatively you could call the community midwives office for an update on 01925 662092.

We welcomed the new Bishop of Warrington, Beverley Mason today who toured our maternity unit meeting new families and staff.

Introducing our neonatal octopuses, which are provided by the charity Octopus for a Premmie UK - http://octopusforapreemie.com/ if you would like to knit them, please contact them for more information as ours have to pass strict infection control guidance before they arrive on the unit.

As part of the NHS 70 celebrations the NHS has made a video about all the professions involved in the maternity journey. Check it out here:
https://www.nhs70.nhs.uk/baby-baby-the-nh s-team/