Neonatology

The Neonatology department at the Caen University Hospital is committed to a child and family-centered care approach, with the NIDCAP and IHAB programs.

The philosophy:

– Placing the child at the center of care : considering them as the main actor in their own development

– Supporting and accompanying parents : considering them as true partners in care, co-regulators of their child.

This approach, wherecare is organized according to the child's needs and abilities, is in accordance with the Charter of the Hospitalized Newborn, co-written by the French Society of Neonatology and the SOS Préma association. (To consult the charter, click below)

The 24-hour reception for parents allows them to participate in care and to attend, if they wish, the various examinations and technical procedures necessary to ensure the emotional security of their baby . 

Multidisciplinary collaboration is necessary to ensure optimal care for these patients who are particularly fragile and sensitive to their environment.

Flyer-procedure-care-NEO82

POSTER Quality Approach Neonatal Unit

The medical-surgical intensive care unit takes care of newborns in life-threatening distress who require highly technical care, in particular artificial ventilation.

The intensive care unit takes care of newborns following resuscitation, but also newborns without life-threatening distress who require continuous monitoring such as parenteral nutrition via central venous catheter or on-invasive ventilation.

The routine care unit takes care of newborns under 28 days old ( corrected age) with a pathology without life-threatening distress, or requiring support towards food autonomy.

Mother-baby units, known as " kangaroo units " and " koala units", allow newborns (not requiring resuscitation or intensive care) in their mother's hospital room.

The HAD team provides home care for children aged 0 to 2 years who still need medical care, within a radius of 30 to 35 km around Caen.

Pediatric nurses : Eve Boucharain, Céline Cadiou, Sophie Gallier-Bazin, Juliette François and Agnès Le Roy

Presentation of HADon Allodocteurs.fr

As in maternity care, various screenings are carried out during hospitalization in the neonatal unit. Clear information is explained to the parents, and their signed authorization is required.

Various flyers about the different screenings are currently available below in the "available documents" section

A team consisting of a pediatrician and a nurse from the department provides, 24 hours a day, all year round, inter-institutional transport for children under 3 years of age in life-threatening distress.

It is an internal milk bank which provides for the collection, storage, processing (pasteurization) and preparation of breast milk for hospitalized children.

He also participates internally in the collection of donations for external milk banks.

Milk bank team: Florence Feugueur, Vanessa Loufouma-Moussounda, Christelle Sébas, Pediatric Nurses, and Stéphanie Denaes, Marion Ferreira, /Auxiliary

Whether your wish to breastfeed was prior or related to the circumstances of the birth of your baby(ies), the entire neonatology team will be there to support you.

Breastfeeding specialists: Dr. Mélanie Alexandre, Dr. Valérie Datin-Dorrière, Sophie Gallier-Bazin, Anaïs Guibout, Johana Lauret, Jennifer Lefrou and Vanessa Loufouma

Video "The Colors of Breastfeeding" (Annecy Genevois Hospital)

Video "Expressing breast milk manually" (Sikana)

Video "Breastfeeding" (Karine Lafargue)

In the 1980s, H. Als, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, introduced the concept of developmental care in the treatment of newborns hospitalized in neonatal units. This is a care concept (including the newborn and the involvement of their parents) that aims to promote the child's neurodevelopment and the parent-child bond.

The objectives are as follows:

• Reducing stress factors for newborns by limiting unpleasant neuro-sensory experiences and parent-child separation
• Promoting the baby's well-being by offering pleasant and adapted neuro-sensory experiences
• Involving parents in care and thus promoting understanding of their child's behavior

They have demonstrated their benefits in numerous scientific publications.

Practical guide
"Meeting your baby:
Better understanding to support their development"

Video "The behavior of the newborn"

Video "Developmental Care"

Developmental Care Referents: Dr. Elodie Lecorps, Adeline Barteau, Mélanie Crauffon, Susie Delapierre, Caroline Delaunay, Carine Faroldi, Graziella Leconte, Emilie Kurtz, Audrey Lanos, Stessy Laronche, Jennifer Lefrou, Sophie Louaintier and Aurélia Vaucan

Project coordination and team leadership are provided by Dr. Valérie Datin-Dorrière and Claire Mesierz. Contact: nidcap@chu-caen.fr / +33 6 66 48 39 50

“ NewbornIndividualized ​​ CareDevelopmental ​​ and Assessment​ ​”
Program

Based on the work of Professor TB Brazelton on the observation of the behavior of full-term newborns, Professor H. Als and his team defined NIDCAP in 1982 in Boston.

Introduced in France in 1998 by the team from the University Hospital of Brest, and led by Professor J. Sizun and Dr. N. Ratynski, NIDCAP is an early, individualized care program centered on the child and their family, integrated with usual medical and nursing care, and includes a set of behavioral and environmental strategies.

This approach to premature infants aims to understand their developmental stage and needs based on the "synactive theory of neonatal development," where the premature newborn is considered the primary agent of their own development, and their parents are their "co-regulators." Once the baby's needs are identified, it is important to try to meet them, while consistently fostering the parent-child relationship.

The program is based on observing the child's behavior before, during and after care, a meal, a diaper change… There is no standard answer, each child is different.

Since 2008, the Neonatology Department at Caen Normandy University Hospital has been committed to this program of support for premature newborns and their parents (department project). Currently, 6 professionals are NIDCAP certified (NIDCAP observers and developmental care specialists), 16 professionals are FINE certified (developmental care specialists), and 4 professionals are in training to obtain NIDCAP certification.

Video "What is NIDCAP?"

French-speaking NIDCAP association: https://www.nidcapfrancophone.org/

NIDCAP Coordinators: Dr. Valérie Datin-Dorrière, Audrey Daireaux, Sophie Gardinot, Agnès Le Roy, Claire Mesierz and Florence Turpin

Coordination of the NIDCAP-FINE projects and team is provided by Dr. Valérie Datin-Dorrière and Claire Mesierz. Contact: nidcap@chu-caen.fr / +33 6

Early vocal contact encourages parents to talk and sing to their baby in a close, intimate setting such as skin-to-skin contact, and is part of a child- and family-centered care strategy. Studies have shown that the fetus and then the newborn recognize the mother's voice and that the parent's voice is modulated according to the baby's reactions, allowing for genuine reciprocity between the two.

Early vocal contact promotes better physiological stability and weight gain. It reduces pain during painful procedures and fosters the parent-child bond.

So, don't hesitate to talk or sing to your baby! To learn more, you can listen to the following podcasts, produced by the Neonatology at the Caen University Hospital:
Talking and singing to your baby is good for them

As the child's hospitalization progresses, the team gradually supports the parents towards a discharge home to ensure that it is as peaceful as possible.

Neonatal Discharge Preparation Booklet

BEABA Instructions – Baby's Bed

The medical team provides follow-up consultations for very premature infants from 0 to 7 years old, within the framework of the Normandy Perinatal Network (RPN).

Visit the RPN website: https://www.perinat-normandie.fr/