Birmingham Hospital Charity fundraising to care for the families of premature babies
This World Prematurity Day (17 November), Heartlands Hospital Charity and Good Hope Hospital Charity are launching an appeal to help their smallest patients – 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 our 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.”
For more information about how we support newborns and their families or how you can help, please visit our Newborns in Need Appeal