Newborns In Need
Each year we care for thousands of babies some of whom are born up to four months early and weigh as little as one pound.
An average of one in ten newborn babies need the support of the neonatal units across Good Hope and Heartlands. The unit also takes babies from across the whole region. The Neonatal Unit provides 24-hour care using dedicated breathing machines, incubators and state-of-the-art monitoring machines.
The hospital charity aims to support the unit in providing the most advanced medical equipment, over and above NHS Funding.
We also aim to provide mothers and families with the ‘added extras’ that they need to ensure that their stay on the ward is as comfortable as possible by providing soft furnishings such as comfortable feeding chairs, and plans to refurbish the parent overnight room and feeding room.
Did you know?
- Each year Good Hope Hospital and Heartlands Hospital deliver an average of 11,000 babies.
- Over 1,000 of these babies are cared for in the special Neonatal Unit at Good Hope Hospital and Heartlands Hospital every year.
- It costs £1,000 per day to run a cot for a premature baby in intensive care. Some babies require only a few days of care, whilst others may require a stay of several months.
- Premature babies born before 37 weeks are vulnerable to a range of problems, including breathing difficulties as their lungs are not yet fully formed.
- Because of their small size, premature babies do not normally have enough body fat to regulate their own temperature and need to be cared for in an incubator to keep them warm.
- Very premature babies (those born before 32 weeks) may be too young to feed and have to be fed via a tube directly to their stomach.
Concord Birth Trolley
When a premature baby is born, they often need help breathing immediately after birth and so the umbilical cord is clamped straight away so staff can help the baby. In doing so a baby is born with a third of their blood still outside their body (in the cord and the Placenta).
This is why, during Cord Blood Awareness Month, Heartlands Hospital Charity is launching its appeal to raise funds for a Concord Birth Trolley. This amazing piece of equipment keeps mum and baby attached allowing delayed cord clamping, which provides huge benefits to all babies, especially those born premature and helps save lives. This incredible piece of equipment can reduce the death rate in babies born under 28 weeks by a third!
Delaying clamping of the umbilical cord for at least 60 seconds increases blood cells in the body by 60% 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.
Please help us support our tiniest patients with this life-saving piece of equipment by donating today.