Birmingham Hospital Charity are raising life-saving funds for premature babies

This World Prematurity Day (17 November), Heartlands Hospital Charity are launching an appeal to help the Neonatal Units at the hospitals.

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!

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).

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.

Heartlands Hospital and Good Hope Hospital treat 1,000 premature babies under 37 weeks every year. 100 of those are born under 32 weeks weighing less than 1,000 grams, and some can weigh as little as 400 grams, which is almost the same as a can of pop!

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.

“Concord Birth Trolley will allow us to aid the breathing of our preterm babies whilst they are still attached to the cord, which is so important to improve their survival and long-term developmental prospects. It also allows for mum to be with her baby in those very first moments rather than being whisked away for various procedures; this is so crucial for their bonding, promotion of breast-feeding and developmental care. We can’t thank Heartlands Hospital Charity enough for raising funds for such a vital, life-saving piece of equipment. Please donate what you can to support this appeal.”

If you can help us fund this life-saving work, please donate to our Newborns in Need Appeal today