HELPING the smallest patients is at the heart of a new hospital campaign.
As part of World Prematurity Day (November 17) Heartlands Hospital Charity and Good Hope Hospital Charity have launched an appeal to help babies being looked after on the Neonatal Units at the hospitals.
Each year, over 1,000 babies are cared for by the units. These babies can be born as early as 20 weeks and weigh as little as a can of fizzy drink.
The charities are campaigning to fund two Neonatal Family Support Workers.
These roles will help the parents of babies being cared for on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Heartlands Hospital and Special Care Baby Unit at Good Hope. Their job is to bridge the gap between parents and the medical care their baby is undergoing, offering social and emotional support, as well as practical help and information.
Some of the babies on the Neonatal Units need help breathing, regulating their own temperature, and feeding, all of which can be incredibly overwhelming for their families. Actively involving parents in their baby’s care has been shown to reduce stress and help the baby improve and grow quicker.
One of the new Neonatal Support Workers, Kate Booth, said: “It is so important to me, that parents and families feel confident that they understand what care their baby is getting on our units, and feel safe taking their baby home.
“Having a premature baby is a very stressful experience and is a worrying time for parents. Being able to reduce that stress and fear by giving them meaningful help and information makes me incredibly proud.
“I think it’s great that the Charity is supporting us to help bring this sort of care to patients and their families. It’s very clear when speaking with the families the difference we can make, and I know that it means a lot to them that we are able to help. We couldn’t do it without their kind support.”
In addition to the support workers Heartland Hospital charity is hoping to raise funds for a life-saving Concord Birth Trolley, which keeps mum and baby attached allowing delayed cord clamping and can help reduce the death rate in babies born under 28 weeks by a third.
Health bosses say delaying clamping of the umbilical cord for at least 60 seconds increases blood cells in the body by 60 per cent which will provide babies with enough iron to get them through their first year, as well as antibodies, stem cells and white blood cells to help fight infection.
Neonatal consultant at Heartlands Hospital, Pinki Surana, said: “In our specialist Neonatal Unit at Heartlands Hospital, we really wish to harness the beneficial effects of delayed cord clamping – especially for our preterm babies – as it can decrease death by a third, reducing the risk of brain bleeds and improving their iron stores which is linked to better mental abilities.”
For more information about how we support newborns and their families or how you can help, please visit hospitalcharity.org/appeals/newborns-in-need
