There are a variety of staff to support you and your baby in the journey to oral feeding on Butterfly Ward.

The most important member of this team is YOU.

You can help your baby make a good start with feeding. The earlier you get involved and the more you participate, the safer and more secure your baby will feel during feeding. Being fed by the same consistent carer makes Butterfly more like home for your baby.

There are a variety of different Butterfly staff who will work alongside you to help you gain confidence in feeding your baby, these include:

• Nursing staff who provide regular training and support. They will assist you to assess your baby's readiness for feeding and help you work out if your baby is coping during feeding.
• Midwives can assist with advice on breastfeeding, expressing, supply and storage of EBM. They can sit with you while you attempt to introduce your baby to breastfeeding and help you assess things like baby’s latch and sucking. They can also help you to recognise your baby’s feeding cues.
• Speech Pathologists who are often referred to as “SALT (Speech & Language Therapists)”, can assess your baby's feeding and teach you ways to feed your baby safely. They are a great help and support to parents whose babies may have difficulties with sucking their feeds because of their medical issues or who have developed oral or feeding aversion. They can also recommend specific positioning for feeding for your baby following a clinical assessment.
• Occupational therapists and Physiotherapists can also assist you to position your baby comfortably and safely for feeding if they are having additional difficulties with this.
• Dieticians provide advice to optimise your baby's nutrition to help them achieve their best growth and development.
• Doctors will work with you and your baby to set goals and decide on a daily feeding plan during each morning ward round.