Your baby may be ready to go home when

• They can maintain their temperature in a normal cot
• They are gaining weight 
• They can feed from the breast, bottle or a mix of both
• You have learnt to tube feed your baby if they need tube feeds
• Their doctors tell you they are well enough to leave Butterfly 

Before going home checklist

• Do you know how to feed your baby? 
           - If you are breastfeeding, do you have enough information and support to breastfeed and know where to go for help
           - If you are expressing and bottle-feeding, or formula feeding, do you know how to sterilise bottles and make up your baby’s feeds?
           - If you are tube feeding, have you been fully-trained by your nurse and do you feel confident and know how to troubleshoot common problems, such as what to do if they tube  comes out?
• Do you know how to: bath, dress, nappy change and take your baby’s temperature?
• Have you been shown how to give your baby medicine if they need this at home?
• Do you know how to reassure your baby and make them comfortable?
• Have you been shown how to use any specialist equipment, such as home oxygen or a monitor?
• Do you feel confident in providing any other special care that your baby might need, for example, stoma care, tracheostomy care, replacing ileostomy losses?
• Do you know the Safe Sleeping Guidelines to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)?
• Have you had resuscitation & choking training or watched the training videos?
• Do you know how to ensure your baby is safe in their car seat?
• Does your baby need an NDIS referral?
• Do you know how to recognise if your baby is unwell and what to do if they become unwell?
  Recognising serious illness in your baby
  
  View the full list of RCH fact sheets.
  

Final check

Before you go, we will provide you with the following, as required:

• A Discharge Summary that explains the care your baby needed in Butterfly and why. A copy of the discharge summary is also usually sent to your GP, Maternal Child Health Nurse (MCHN), and your baby’s referring hospital.
• A prescription for medications or special formula, if required. Often the medications themselves are supplied before you leave and our pharmacist or your baby’s nurse will tell you how to give the medicine(s).
• Information about any follow-up appointments that will be sent to you as soon as they are booked. Sometimes the date and time of appointments are not arranged until after babies leave Butterfly
• Details of any extra equipment you may require at home, although this is usually delivered BEFORE discharge. Examples include home oxygen or suctioning supplies. You may need to pick up some additional supplies yourself from the Equipment Distribution Centre (EDC) on Level B2 near the Green Lifts. Our team will give you instructions if you need to do this
• Details of any extra teams who will come to see your baby at your home, if required. For example, your baby may need to be seen by the Post-Acute Care (PAC), the RCH@Home, or the Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) teams
  

“Baby stuff”

In the lead up to going home, many parents ask us to advise them on what “baby stuff” they need before they can take their baby home. 

Here is a list of practical items

• Car seat
• Pram or travel system
• Breast pump if you are expressing breastmilk
• If you are using EBM or formula, you will need bottles, sterilising equipment and a bottle warmer
• A safe, clean surface for nappy changing and a stock of your choice of nappy
• A baby bath
• Clothes, wraps and blankets
• Suitable baby toys and books
• Cot or bassinet for sleeping. Don’t forget about Safe Sleeping Guidelines! 
  

There are many other items that are marketed to parents as “must haves” but a basic list, as above, can initially be limited to the themes of sleeping, eating, travelling, dressing, nappy changing, bathing, and playing. Once you get home you can figure out if you really need the other “must haves” or not.

Remember, going home does not mean going it alone

Parents may experience a range of unexpected emotions when they are getting ready to go home from the neonatal unit. While it is an exciting time to be at home and starting life with your new baby, you may also have some uncertainty about not having the support of the unit staff at home. Being at home can also feel like an isolating and overwhelming experience. Some parents describe feeling a ‘whirlwind’ or ‘rollercoaster’ of different emotions. It is important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to feel, and it is normal to experience lots of different emotions while you adjust to life at home with your baby.