Gift a family with a support package while their babies need the neonatal team.

Some babies need extra care on the neonatal unit (NICU) which can be anything from a few extra days to weeks or months. During this difficult time, parents have additional worries we would like to support with if we can.

Alongside the worry of their baby, they face unexpected costs like travel and parking expenses, time away from home where siblings need looking after and for some families, parents may have a scenario that requires a parent to take unpaid leave while keeping the house running and visiting their baby.

It’s safe to say, these unexpected pressures at any time can be stressful, let alone when mum and baby are staying in hospital for long periods.

While NHS funding covers the core necessities, there are many items that can relieve these additional pressures for our longer-stay families and babies during this time. We are fundraising to fund the additional items that can make a real difference to more families like Evah and Evie’s parents (picture)

We have a charity fund just for the neonatal unit to provide practical care packages for families while their babies are on our neonatal unit by:

• Enhancing the facilities on the ward for parents staying for longer periods like bedside lamps and additional bedding etc.
• Purchasing enhanced equipment like positioning aids to encourage development
• Provide advanced reclining chairs to enable skin-to-skin time and feeding
• Providing additional activities to occupy siblings
• Providing gifts to those who are in hospital during special occasions like Christmas or sibling Birthdays for example
• Providing meal vouchers to ensure both parents are provided with meals
• Purchasing equipment that recreates the womb environment as much as possible
• Providing discounts on parking expenses to aid the financial and practical pressures during this emotional and worrying time.

We cannot provide family support packages like this alone. If you have been through a neonatal journey for your baby or know somebody that has needed the support of our neonatal team and would like to support more families to come, please donate to NICU now.