I have never been through this and I can’t imagine the pain and grief that parents and families go through when they lose a child. I have had relatives who have lost a child and I have seen from a distance the pain and suffering it causes. The long term effects can be devastating and upsetting to see. Maybe this is why people shy away from talking about the topic, it’s too hard to comprehend and think about. When things are tough to face we tend to retreat to the safety of our little bubbles and shut out the bad things in life. By doing this though we miss the friends that want to talk about t ..read more

One thing we are terrible at is celebrating our wins in life. Mums in particular are really bad. Either we try and credit everyone else or we acknowledge it but only to downplay it. We need to start owning our wins and being proud of ourselves! Let’s start with the small wins when we are hospital with our babies on the NICU. Celebrating the wins of a NICU mum Firstly, congratulations on the birth of your little one! If you managed to get up, eat, wash, brush your hair/teeth or get dressed then you are doing an amazing job. These may seem like such small things, but they can definitely be seen ..read more

When you first enter the NICU it can seem like such a scary place. There is so much machinery around. Then there’s all the warning notices to wash your hands, oxygen supply, emergency alarm (which works very well if pressed!). Then there are all the wires and tubes in the incubator or cot surrounding your beautiful little baby. It’s human instinct to fear the unknown and even though that fear is completely natural it’s not a nice feeling. Knowing what some of the NICU tools and equipment are can really help to start to alleviate some of that fear. We hope this blog helps you to do just that. H ..read more

To have a baby is a huge decision. If you have a preemie then you might get anxiety about having another baby. There are so many things to think about. You’re likely to have a lot of questions too. To be anxious about pregnancy after a preemie is a completely understandable mental state to be in. After all your preemie pregnancy didn’t go at all to plan! The decision for me to have another baby after my first was born 10 weeks early was huge. When it finally happened I couldn’t have been happier. I went to my first few appointments and suddenly things felt out of my control. The midwife decide ..read more

September is NICU awareness month and you will see that the NICU and preemie community will be ramping up their posts to raise awareness. We feel this is such an important thing to do so you will have noticed us doing the same. There’s no competition as to who has the worst story to tell. The whole point of the month is to learn about everyone’s different experiences. It’s also about making new friends or connections with parents who have been through a similar experience. Education is key if NICU’s are going to get funding for research, continue to provide great care for parents and babies an ..read more

September 29th is World Heart Day and Thank You #hiddenheroes Day. Both of these topics are close to my heart. My preemie was born with a heart condition called SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia). This is where the heart misfires an electrical signal and tells it to beat too quickly. There are ways to get the heart to convert back to a normal rhythm but unfortunately telling a baby to hold their breath (definitely not encouraging a NICU baby to do that one!), cough or bear down isn’t practical. Ice did occasionally work for him but mainly it was medication that controlled the condition. It too ..read more

One common question that I see a lot is on getting little ones to take their inhaler. Some babies and young children have no problems at all. Then you have the wriggly ones and the ones that just don’t like it at all. My son was great as a baby but got worse as he got older. He’s back to be being good with it but it took trying a few different things to get him back into behaving to get a successful dose. In this blog I’m going to cover a few different things we tried, hopefully it if you’re struggling it will help you find that thing that works for you and your little one. Disclaimer: I am no ..read more

This World Prematurity Day feels very different! Not quite as bad as last year but not quite in the clear either. This years World Prematurity Day theme is #MyNeonatalStory. We are now 5 years into our journey and there is very little about my son that would tell anyone that he was born prematurely. In fact it’s only the ongoing hospital appointments and his speech delay that might tip someone off that he had a rough start in life. I really did wonder if we would ever get to this point. It has been a tough journey and only in the last year would I say it has started to get a little easier. #My ..read more

We are a huge fan of books! The health benefits of reading to premature babies are astonishing. Who knew that something so simple and at such a young age could any kind of positive measurable effect? Studies show though that reading to a premature baby can help to improve their oxygen saturation levels, their heart rates and later in life their speech and language skills. Not to mention that it gives parents something normal to do with their baby. As it’s children’s book week we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase some authors that we love! Val Blackburn Val is mum to 4 gir ..read more

Mum guilt, it seems that we are pre-programmed to feel guilt from the second our babies are born. Did I do all I could during my pregnancy? Was I good enough when it came to food and drink choices? Did my worries and anxieties get picked up on by my baby? Why did my body fail me and my baby? STOP You will have done all you can! There are guidelines to follow but they are just that – guidelines. Carrying a baby is no easy job. There is so much to think about and all while our bodies and brains are changing. Tiredness sets in and instinct usually takes over. We need more sleep and have cravings ..read more