RBWH’s NeoHOME Program celebrates milestone baby

NeoHOME’s 100th patient Xavier and mum Rachel at RBWH

A surprise baby is the one hundredth infant to participate in RBWH’s NeoHOME program. NeoHOME provides support from the Grantley Stable Neonatology team for eligible families to take their new family member home two to three weeks earlier than they previously could.

Launched in October 2022, the service involves families looking after their baby/babies at home with the support of daily visits from a neonatal nurse to ensure families feel safe, confident and well-informed.

NeoHOME provides the same high quality of care that would be delivered in the Grantley Stable Neonatology Unit, while lessening the impacts of long-term hospitalisation on families such as the stress of being away from other children and the financial impact of car parking and paying for accommodation close to hospital.

RBWH Neonatal Clinical Nurse Consultant and NeoHOME Project Lead Kate Cogill said the NeoHOME Service is on track to assist more than 150 premature or sick babies and their families each year.

“The feedback on the program from families has been overwhelmingly positive, with many parents commenting that it has allowed them to settle into their new family life much quicker and taken a lot of the stress out of having a baby who requires specialist neonatological care,” Ms Cogill said.

“We’ve had such an enthusiastic uptake from both our team and families and are excited to celebrate our special milestone baby, Xavier.”
First-time mum Rachel O’Donnell’s baby Xavier is the one hundredth baby to be cared for through the service after his birth took Rachel by complete surprise.

“My whole life I’ve been told I would never be able to fall pregnant naturally, so when I started to experience stomach pains, I thought they were symptoms of another health condition. When the pain got worse, I drove myself to hospital and found out I was in labour. I didn’t believe them until I heard Xavier’s heartbeat!” said Rachel.

“When Xavier was born he was in a critical condition and I was also very unwell. Thankfully, he’s been kicking lots of goals already and now we get to go home using the NeoHOME program which I’m really excited about.

“I’m unable to drive due to my recent surgery, so I’ve had to rely on family and friends to drop me off at the hospital. Being able to take Xavier home and have his medical appointments come to him will make such a huge difference.

“I didn’t have anything ready for him, but my family, friends and even total strangers have rallied around us to make sure we have the baby supplies we need. It’s restored my faith in humanity.”