This section provides information on some medical procedures carried out in the neonatal unit (NNU).
Before any medical procedure, the medical team will ask for your permission or consent. To help you in your decision to give consent, the medical team will explain everything that will happen to your baby, direct you to additional information, and make sure that you know all your baby’s options. By doing this and by seeking your approval, you will be able to give your ‘informed consent’.
For routine procedures, such as a blood test, the medical team will ask you for your verbal ‘informed consent’. For major procedures, such as an operation, the medical team will give you a ‘consent form’ to sign. Should your baby develop a serious and unexpected problem, it may be necessary to start tests and treatment immediately without your consent. If this occurs, the medical team will update you on everything that has been done, and why, as soon as possible.
Remember, it is important that you ask questions, are involved, and understand your baby’s treatment. Do not be afraid to ask questions. If you are not sure whether, or not, you should give consent, or if it is a big decision, you can always ask for a second opinion from another doctor.
The medical team will do everything they can to inform you, and keep you updated, about your baby’s care. The medical team will also direct you to, or provide you with, support literature should you request it. If English is not your first language and you have difficulty understanding anything in the NNU or about your baby’s care, an interpreter will be provided to you.