Sister Helen Smith, Infant Feeding Support Lead Nurse on the neonatal unit at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary has been given a High Commendation Award from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (APPGM)

Helen led an 18 month project funded by the Tiny Lives Charity to improve the provision of breast milk for sick and preterm babies. The number of mothers providing breast milk for their babies has increased considerably and almost twice as many preterm babies now go home breast feeding.
The award was given in the category of “most marked improvement in service to improve outcomes for mothers and babies” at the awards, which acknowledge inspiring or innovative work in improving local maternity services.

Helen and her colleagues were presented with the certificate at the APPGM summer reception on 11th July, at the Terrace Pavilion, Houses of Parliament by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health Anne Milton MP.

The reception hosted by Chair of the APPGM, Dr Dan Poulter MP, was attended by 200 guests including MPs, officials from the Department of Health, Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of NCT, representatives from royal colleges and the NHS workforce and leading health professionals and user representatives from maternity services across the UK. 

Helen’s supervisor, Consultant Neonatologist Dr Nick Embleton said “We are delighted that our work has been recognised by the APPGM. Helen developed a new support system which dramatically increased the numbers of mothers providing breast milk for their babies, in a part of the country where breastfeeding rates are relatively low”.

Dr Dan Poulter MP, Chair of the APPGM and member of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, said: “It is important that high quality frontline NHS work in maternity care is properly recognised, and these awards help to highlight the contributions of a number of healthcare workers to improving women’s care and experience of pregnancy and childbirth.”

Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of the NCT who is sponsoring the awards said: “These are all excellent examples of what can be achieved through committed staff, focused work and innovation in services, and we hope they will act as an inspiration to other Trusts around the country.”

Elizabeth and John Patterson proud parents of Christopher and Matthew raised the amazing amount of £3000.00 from organising a fundraising night.  With the help of family, friends and local business kindly donating their time, money and prizes, Elizabeth and John doubled the amount they were excepting to raise. 
As the Special Care Baby Unit is close to their heart from Matthew spending the first seven days of his life on the unit they chose Tiny Lives to be their nominated Charity.
After collecting all the money raised on the night the Patterson family returned to the unit to present Tiny Lives with their Cheque and to meet some of the staff members who took care of Matthew.

A £2,750 donation from house builder, Bellway will help The Special Care Baby Unit on Ward 35 at the Newcastle RVI Hospital.

The unit which specialises in the care of new born babies, welcomed the donation, Matron Yve Collingwood commented:

“Premature babies need very specialist treatment at the start of their lives and depending upon the circumstances may be on the ward for up to nine months. We are very grateful to Bellway for this donation which will be used for the benefit of our patients and there parents.

Julian Kenyon, Corporate Affairs Manager at Bellway who visited the unit, said: “The Special Care Baby Unit performs an incredible task we are delighted to play a small part in the very important role undertaken by the doctors and nursing staff.”

….Laura Dickson and 10 pals got on their bikes to raise funds for Tiny Lives, the special care babies unit at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary.

The group cycled 38 miles from Washington to Sunderland before passing through South Shields, Jarrow, Hebburn, then on to Gateshead, Low Fell, and back to Washington, on Sunday, August 28. They raised almost £2,000, with more cash coming in.

Laura, 27, from Birtley, Gateshead, said: “My friend is a nurse on the unit in the RVI, and it’s not until she started working there that I realised just how important it is and how much everything costs.

“When I looked on the charity’s website and saw how much all of the equipment cost, I couldn’t believe it. Now that I’m a mum myself – I have a 17-month-old son, Joel – I’ve realised just how important the things they do are.
“It’s not the kind of charity that I would normally think about, and I was lucky enough to be one of the people who didn’t need the help of the unit when Joel was born, but I wanted to do something to support them.”
The team donned T-shirts donated by printing business Personalised Touches in Stanhope Road, South Shields.

Laura, who works at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Newcastle, added: “We chose to plan our route out across Tyne and Wear because it’s not just babies in Newcastle that the unit helps it’s people from all over the county.
“We drew up a 34-mile route but we ended up doing 38 miles. It took us about seven hours altogether, which isn’t too bad since some of us didn’t do any training and others got punctures along the way.

“There’s talk of doing it every year, but we’ll see.”

Tiny Lives would like to say a BIG Thank You to all the girls and to everyone who supported them making this wonderful donation possible.

In brief an Ironman is:

2.4mile swim
112miles bike ride
26mile run AKA as a MARATHON

You don't rest between the swim & the bike & the run.  You hop from one to the other....as FAST as you can. 

Jo has three children and has to juggle her life around the enormous amount of training required to compete in an event like this.

This is an epic challenge for anyone to take on, but Jo is driven to do this for a cause that is close to her own heart

Jo's son and daughter Polly and Jake were born by emergency caesarean on the 2nd June 2003 at 29 gestation.  Polly who appeared first and was born with a lung infection was 2lb 8oz and Jake was 2lb 9oz.  Both were immediately admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit at the RVI where they were incubated and ventilated.
After eight weeks in Special Care, Polly and Jake were well enough to come home although they remained on home oxygen for twelve months and had frequent visits from the Special Care Baby Unit out nurses. 
Eight years on, Polly and Jake are here to prove what Charities like Tiny Lives can do to improve the chances of survival of premature babies.

If you follow Jo's blog and justgiving page, you can read more about Polly & Jake's story and help Jo to reach her target.

In loving memory of our son Charlie Stuart Crook

Stuart Crook, his cousin and brother-in-law raise the amazing amount of £628.00 in loving memory of baby Charlie by running the Cumbria Run.  They proudly ran the 13 miles together wearing Tiny Lives vests with Charlie's picture on the back of them.

Charlie was admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit along with his twin brother Riley on 5 February 2010.  Sadly Charlie wasn’t as strong as Riley and despite receiving the best care from the doctors and nurses on the unit Charlie gave up his fight and died peacefully in mummy and daddy arms on 2nd March 2010. 
Riley left the RVI on 15 March 2010 and was transferred back to Carlisle for a further two weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit.  Riley is now nearly 14 months old and is a very happy and health little boy who we love with all our hearts.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tiny Lives and the RVI for the very special work they do for such special little babies.

Yours sincerely

Stuart and Rachel Crook 

Dr MP Ward Platt, Consultant Paediatrician & Reader in Neonatal and Paediatric Medicine and Chair of Tiny Lives at the RVI, is part of a team of researchers who are looking for parents who can help them with a study of bereavement. If you are interested in finding out more please visit www.bracelet-study.org.uk

Mark & Spencer Outlet in Byker have raised the great amount of £2665.43.

Staff at the store set a few challenges to raise the money and did a wonderful job.  Kerry Thompson from Marks and Spencer’s organised all the challenges with the help of her colleagues

The first challenge was a group of girls (Carolyn Butcher, Jenn Hawkins, Sue Featherstone and Linda Robson) who walked along the coast line. 

The second challenge was Kerry Thompson, Krista Campbell, Greg Robson, Heather McCnally and Phillippa Kenyon walking/climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland.

The third challenge was in store were Michelle Smith a member of staff sat in a bath of jelly with the babies.

A fundraising night was held which included raffle, singers and disco, along with everyone enjoying their evening while raising money for such a great cause. Thank you to Sue Featherstone for gathering all the great prizes which were donated from local businesses

Tiny Lives would like to say a BIG thank you to Kerry Thompson, everyone who took part in the challenges and helped organise the fund raising night and all the customers who kindly donated money and prizes.  The money donated has gone to help provide the staff with up to date training when needed, keeping the hospital environment a more homely place for parents and siblings.

Click here to see photo's of everyone involved.

Would you like to help parents who are going through similar circumstances?

Staff on the Special Care Baby Unit are asking parents who have experienced the unit to come forward and join there Buddying Group. 

We are trying to put a Buddy Group in place to help parents on the unit, so they know they aren’t alone.  Every parent and child is different and goes through different emotions but we all need some one to talk to, no matter how long it takes. 
This is why we want to make the Buddying Group work so parents know they can have some time out and speak to other parents who have been in similar circumstances.

We are not asking for a life time commitment, just what ever time you can offer so parents know if they want to talk to other parents they can.  This goes for dads as well.  You could meet up have a cup of tea/coffee, e-mail, text or even by phone these are all invaluable ways of supporting new parents.

If you would like to get involved and offer your help, or would like more details please contact Claire Campbell at clairecworldwide@yahoo.co.uk  Claire is a Senior Staff Nurse on the unit and holds a special interest in family support, or you can contact Louise Carroll at louise@communityfoundation.org.uk  who is the Administrator for Tiny Lives.

Every Thursday afternoon North Shields Live At Home Scheme holds an Activities Club in which they raise money for different charities.  They raised £630.40 for Tiny Lives by holding various activities. 

Louise, Tiny Lives Administrator went along to the Activities Club to say a big thank you from everyone at Tiny Lives for the wonderful amount raised.  

Val Liddle who runs the club along with her dedicated volunteers said “It was lovely to see Louise from Tiny Lives.  Our Members really enjoyed the presentation she gave”.
 
Please click here to see Louise being presented with the cheque from some of their oldest members, who are in their nineties. 

The afternoon was full of fun starting off with tea and coffee, cakes and biscuits, then it went on to the raffle and bingo. 

Myself and friends Gary Delacoe and Stuart Bailey are doing the castle to coast from Edinburgh to Roker,  in remembrance of Ellie Michelle Wilson born 13/09/2008 and died 14/09/2008, but also to celebrate the life of Ellie’s remaining twin Chloe who has gone from strength to strength and is now a healthy 21 months old.

We have been friends of the twins grandparents Harry and Olive Wilson for many years and have watched Steven, their son grow from a small boy to a grown man watching the romance blossom between him and Michelle leading to them setting house up together. We shared in the joyful news that they were expecting twin girls to be born in January 2009, and then the unexpected early arrival of the twins on the 13th September at just over 23 weeks, Ellie weighing 1lb 3oz and Chloe 1lb 2.5oz such tiny little scraps. Ellie fought but lost her tiny life at around 21: 00 on the Sunday evening 14th September.

Chloe has come through such a long road having a operation to close a duct off at around 3 weeks old she was on a ventilator for about 3.5 weeks and then on a c-pap to help her with her breathing, she also had laser surgery on her eyes  at around 11 weeks old she remained in the RVI  Newcastle till the following week when she was transferred to University of North Durham baby unit till she was finally allowed home on Sat 3rd January 16 weeks after being born at around the date she would have been due to be born.

We have seen her parents and grandparents going through this bittersweet ordeal and Chloe is the force that has kept them all going she is such a lovely little girl but Ellie is always in their thoughts as with every step she takes we remember that Ellie would also be at that stage, but thank god for this little miracle and for the sterling work of the Tiny Lives .

Until you are personally involved you are not aware how many babies are born at such an early stage and how the doctors and nurses fight every hour of every day to save these precious tiny live, I am a grandad myself and my own grandson was born prematurely but is now a very lively four and a half years old so it is with great pride and honour I am doing this charity bike ride for the Tiny Lives.

Shasun Pharma Solutions kindly chose Tiny Lives as one of their local charities to support this year, raising a wonderful £750 for Tiny Lives. 

Nicola Ternent who is an employee from Shasun Pharma Solutions nominated Tiny Lives after speaking to her close friends Lisa & Andrew Salkeld, mam & dad to Isaac who was born on August 2009 at just 28 weeks.  Lisa was due to have Isaac at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gateshead but after going into early labour was hoping to have her baby at the RVI. Unfortunately, due to there being no room Lisa was transferred to Stockton North Tees hospital where Isaac was born and then transferred to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Gateshead.  

After seeing an article in the Evening Chronicle Lisa contacted Tiny Lives seeking support and to make contact with other families in the area who had gone through similar experiences.  Lisa and her family were invited to the Christmas Reunion Party where she and Andrew were able to meet and talk to other parents, which they found very comforting and helpful.

Lisa, Andrew, Nathan and Isaac were presented with the cheque on behalf of Tiny Lives at Shasun Pharma Solutions.

Cheeky Chums is the premature baby clothes superstore, which provides a service for parents who have premature babies and also providing hospitals with premature baby clothing to purchase for the little fighters on their unit.

Cheeky Chums have nominated Tiny Lives, to benefit from The Pound for Prems by donating £1 from every item of clothing sold on their website. 

If you click on useful links you can click on to Cheeky Chums website.

Our first ever Ladies Day Event was a great success.  The event, which was held at Seaham Hall raised over £2,000, with help from Paul Sculthorpe, Patron for Tiny Lives and other sports personalities. 

Once the ladies were seated and introduced to their sports personalities, Anna Foster from Metro Radio did a fantastic job hosting the event and encouraging our ladies to bid on ‘money cant buy’ auction prizes such as two tickets to sit in the audience of Loose Women then to meet the girls after the show. 

Before the auction took place our very own ambassador for Tiny Lives Sophie Proud gave an excellent talk to our ladies explaining how she was born at just 24 weeks, becoming the first baby in Britain to survive such an early birth.

We had great businesswomen at the event including international designer Caroline Castigliano.

To see photos of the event and our very own exclusive horse race please click here.

Tynemouth Priory Theatre donates £300.00 to Tiny Lives from their yearly pantomime.  This year the pantomime was Mother Goose.

Val Whittingham Secretary for the theatre said ‘’Each year after our pantomime we like to support Charities which are involved directly or indirectly with children.  

Tiny Lives was the perfect charity this year as my grandson Matthew Whittingham, was born on 7th December 2009, spent some time in the Special Care Baby Unit.  I was very impressed with the excellent care he received.  My family can not thank the staff enough’’

Tiny Lives would like to thank everyone at Tynemouth Priory Theatre for their hard work and for the wonderful donation.

Ex-England and Newcastle footballer Peter Beardsley and three-year-old Brooke Armstrong were the guests of honour when the new Tesco Metro store on Clayton Street, Eldon Square celebrated its opening at 12 noon on Tuesday 16th February.

Store manager Dawn Ross presented Peter with a £2500 donation for the Newcastle United Foundation.  Then presented Brooke with a £2500 donation for Tiny Lives.

Brooke was born three weeks premature and weighted just four pounds when she was born by emergency caesarean at the RVI

Brooke’s father Rob said: “Brooke really enjoyed being the guest of honour, and she had a lovely afternoon. We were delighted to be involved in the store opening, and would like to thank Tesco for the donation - the money will be a great help and will go towards some new heat pads for the newborns to use.

“When Brooke was born the dedication and hard work of everyone in the neonatal unit was just wonderful, and this donation will enable the staff there to continue their great work.”
 
Peter Beardsley said: “I am delighted that Tiny Lives will also benefit from the opening - I am a Patron for the charity, and they do brilliant work.”
 
Store Manager Dawn said: “I am delighted to meet Peter and Brooke and her family. Both the Newcastle United Foundation and Tiny Lives are fantastic charities and do such great work locally, I was more than happy to donate to them.”

...for two staff members to go to the UNICEF UK baby Friendly Initiative Conference

Helen Gray (Post Natal Liaison Sister) and Helen Smith (Sister ward 35) attended the UNICEF UK baby Friendly Initiative Conference in November 2009.
The conference was held over 2 days at the Bournemouth International Centre.

Both Helens have a particular interest in breast feeding the preterm/ small babies on ward 35 and post natal and the conference proved to be a very worthwhile overview on current practice.

Strategies for fighting obesity are currently high on the government agenda and the conference was opened by Dr. Peter Bundred who gave a review of current literature on the relationship between breast feeding and the prevention of early life obesity.
Other speakers focused on the health professional’s role in supporting breast feeding and decision making.

A particularly interesting presentation was given by a Social Marketing Agency which implemented programs designed to bring about social change using concepts from commercial marketing. Such projects have been successful in increasing breast feeding rates of targeted populations and this heightened our awareness its power in changing behavior in a health context.

On the second day, we were particularly interested in the presentation by Professor Kerstin Hedberg who works within a neonatal intensive care unit in Uppsala, Sweden. The unit employs a model of care whereby parents are encouraged to stay for 24 hours per day to care for their baby by offering continuous skin-to-skin contact (including those babies who are ventilated). This model proves a stark contrast to those used in UK neonatal units where kangaroo mother care is generally limited to 1-2 hours or less.

The conference was supported by exhibitors such as breast feeding networks and educational (book) suppliers and we were able to meet and talk to other professionals to compare practice.

We were grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend.

Helen Smith

Christmas Comes Early for Tiny Lives VIP Guests.

Newcastle united players Steven Taylor and Shane Ferguson attended the The Tiny Lives Christmas Reunion Party on Sunday which was held at St. James Park.

Over 300 people attended the party where the children had the opportunity to meet Santa Claus and were treated to a magical performance by Bill the Magician. 

A surprise visit from the two Newcastle players made the event extra special as you could see the excitement on the children’s faces, both players were good sportsman as they participated in the hokey cokey with the children, drew the raffle then handed out prizes for competition winners, before giving the children the opportunity to have their photograph took with them.

Andrea Atkinson Tiny Lives Fundraising Manager said, “This event is what makes Tiny Lives worth while, seeing over 180 miracle children celebrating life as they dance, play on the bouncy castle, soft play or evening watching the magician but deep down knowing if it was not for the Special Care Baby Unit they might not be here” 

GENEROUS guests at a glittering charity event raised more than £30,000 to help premature and poorly babies in the North East.

The 240 partygoers cheerfully tried to outbid each other to snap up a host of unique raffle and auction prizes at the Tiny Lives Black and White Party at the Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel, Newcastle.

Hosted by Newcastle United footballing legend Peter Beardsley, the annual event raises money for the Tiny Lives Fund, managed by the Community Foundation, which raises cash for the Special Care Baby unit at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Benidorm star, Shaun Foster-Conley topped the bill at the party, which saluted the golden age of the silver screen with a Vintage Hollywood theme. Guests enjoyed a three-course meal followed by entertainment and a late-night casino designed to pay tribute to the American ‘speakeasies’ of the 1930s.

However, the main attraction of the night was the auction with the chance to bid for a number of unique prizes donated by businesses from the North East and further afield.

Among those most keenly bid for were: the chance to win two tickets to the Professional Football Association Dinner in April 2012, a starring role in an Evening Chronicle fashion shoot and feature, two flights to New York, tickets for the Northumbria Plate and a drumming session with Ray Laidlaw of local group Lindisfarne.

Tiny Lives was founded to help meet some of the costs of caring for the 600 premature or poorly newborn babies admitted to the RVI every year and funds raised by the charity have so far helped pay for staff training, equipment and research as well as the travel costs incurred by parents visiting their babies.

Peter Beardsley Tiny Lives Patron, said: “It was a great evening as always and our supporters always know how to make the most of our biggest annual event by helping to raise as much money as they can on the night.”

Andrea Atkinson, Fundraising Manager for Tiny Lives, said: “We are overjoyed at the amount raised at the party and hugely grateful to all those who helped us reach this amazing total.”

The Christmas Reunion Party gives parents a chance to meet others who have had a similar experience and also reunite with those they had become friendly whilst on the unit.  It is also an opportunity to meet some of the doctors and nurses who took care of their special ones.

But most importantly all the children attending had fun visiting Santa Claus while receiving a little Christmas present, watching  Mister Twister do all his very clever  magic tricks, along with having great fun on the bouncy castle and soft play also dancing along with the music from the one and only Kenny D from Metro Radio.  After dinner the children took part in a Christmas quiz and a raffle held for the parents with lots of great prizes. 

At the end of the event the parents and children had a great surprise and got the chance to meet Newcastle United Footballers Andy Carroll and Ole Soderberg who kindly stayed, had photo’s taken and signed programmes for the parents and children. 

We would also like to say a BIG thank you all the volunteers, without them the day would not have not been such a great success.  Also a BIG thank you to all the companies that donated a raffle prize and the other great gifts that were handed out on the day.

 
To see photos of the Christmas Reunion Party please click here

If you have had a child on the Special Care Baby Unit at the R.V.I and would like to attend next year’s Christmas Reunion Party please contact Louise Carroll on 0191 222 0945 or E-mail: - louise@communityfoundation.org.uk.

Tiny Lives Black and White Party held on Friday 3rd September hosted by Peter Beardsley and Paddy MacDee raises over £38,000 to purchase life changing equipment for ill newborn babies at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. 

Tiny Lives is celebrating 30 years, so in celebration the event took on a carnival theme starting with performers such as stilt walkers, fire eaters and even a unicyclist with the sounds of the steel band as guests arrived setting the atmosphere.

With a show stopping performance from The Tyne Theatre stage school getting guest in the mood to party.

A spectacular array of money cannot buy prizes within the auction, bids were very generous as the auctioneer kept guests interested and entertained helping to raise amazing amounts of money

Our very own popular radio presenter Paddy MacDee and Tiny Lives patron revived his disco days as the star of the show, Paddy started the celebrations as he took centre stage to spin some tunes; iconic Soul, Motown and Rock n’ Roll classics that immediately filled the dance floor for the rest of the evening.
At the end of the evening guests had the opportunity to have some fun in the fun of the fair games room.

Tiny Lives Patron Paddy MacDee
“Tiny Lives is such an important charity and I was honoured to make a one off appearance in helping celebrate 30 years.  The Black & White Party was once again a hugh success; guests were extremely generous on the night helping us to raise this spectacular amount.”

Peter Beardsley Tiny Lives patron said;
“Once again everyone had a fabulous night, I would like to thank everyone who supported us, as even in this difficult financial times, everyone still continued to dig deep to raise an unbelievable amount, to help us to continue supporting these special babies from all over our region”

Andrea Atkinson Tiny Lives Fundraising Manager said
“I would like thank everyone who has supported or attended the Black & White Party as the money we have raised will enable us to provide a new cooling system, which assists babies who have had lack of oxygen.  A lack of oxygen during birth is a major cause of brain damage in full-term babies, often leading to cerebral palsy. This results in a significant health care and financial burden to the NHS.
Medical research has shown that cooling affected babies for 72 hours after birth results in less brain injury in survivors. This is likely to improve the quality of their lives.  The RVI already uses cooling to treat these babies who are referred to us from across the North of England. We would like to update our equipment to allow us to control the degree of cooling more accurately in addition to enabling us to treat more of these babies and seeking to improve care for now and in the future.”

If you are interested in attending next year’s Black & White Party please contact Andrea on 0191 222 0945 or tinylives@communityfoundation.org.uk

Ellie-Mae was born on the 2nd of April 2011 at 10.25.  Everything went well with the birth at Hexham Hospital Ellie-Mae was 6 days late and weighted 6lb15oz we both had nice cuddles and Ellie-Mae fed straight away off Karen so everything was ok I left the hospital and went home in the early hours.

Then at 12 o'clock on the Sunday Karen phoned to tell me she was not well, I rushed to Hexham to find the transport team from The Special Care Baby Unit preparing to take Ellie-Mae to the RVI as she had gone blue a few times and also started having fits they didn't know at that point what was the matter with her and just told us to wait at Hexham because they didn't know if she had a heart problem so they rushed her off to the Freeman Hospital first,  saying they would ring us to tell us which hospital she would be in, they rang to say her heart was ok and she would be in the red area of The Special Care Baby Unit at the RVI. 

We arrived there to find her connected up to all the monitors and still having fits and at one point the monitors went to zero and the lines went straight with alarms ringing but the nurses were there on hand to bring her back around.  That night we spent on the ward, very scared and sad but all the time the staff were there to help and reassure us over the next few days they calmed the fits down with drugs and did lots of tests on her brain and took various samples of blood over the days they told us she might of had a stroke and half her brain might be damaged,  also she could be epileptic,  but in the end they have not really been able to give us an answer only that they think she has had a lack of blood and oxygen to the brain at some point.

We were in The Special Care Baby Unit for 10 days spending 5 days in the red area then 4 in the blue and 1 day in the parents flat. 

All the time we were there we stayed in Crawford House which we have donated to because they do a fantastic job there.

We would like to thank the nurses, doctors and everyone involved with The Special Care Baby Unit at the RVI they all do a fantastic job so calm and professional and helped us get through that difficult time.
 
At this moment in time we are still under Doctor Embleton who is observing Ellie-Maes progress
 
Yours sincerely
 
Darren, Karen and Ellie-Mae Gaukrodger

On the 20th November 2001 our son (Bradley Shane) and daughter (Ellis) were born at the RVI Newcastle 9½ weeks early. Bradley weighed 3lb 12oz and Ellis weighed 3lb 2oz.   Unfortunately our daughter only survived for 2 hours as there were a number of complications.

A few hours after we lost Ellis, Bradley was transferred to Stockton on tees hospital for a duration of one week until there was available room back in the special care baby unit at the RVI. 

This time was one of mixed emotions. We were moaning the loss of our daughter and going through a very worrying time with Bradley, coupled with leaving our five year old daughter (Chelsea) at home with grand parents.

The one to one care Bradley received at Stockton, particularly by one member of staff (Denise Carr), was exceptional and the fact that we could stay just along the corridor from Bradley made things a bit easier at this difficult time.

Bradley returned to the RVI the following week and spent a further four weeks in their great care and made great progress.  Returning back to the Newcastle  made things a lot easier for grand parents and friends to visit, but more so, closer to Chelsea who could come and visit  her little brother more frequently having gone through a very traumatic time.

Again the care and staff were fantastic, and made all the difference. Dr Fenton led a fantastic team and Sara, Claire and Joyce were a credit to the unit. We were all so grateful for everything they done and with their help, support and hard work Bradley came home the day before Christmas Eve.

Over ten years have passed now and Bradley has grown up so much, one wouldn’t think looking at him that he was born prematurely.  The special care baby unit remains a place close to all our hearts and one to which we are so truly grateful.  Especially close to Bradley & Chelsea’s late grandfather Jim, who sadly passed away on 18th august 2011 after a nine month battle with lung cancer.  It was one of their grandad’s final wishes that instead of flowers for his funeral he wanted all donations to be made to the special care baby unit at the RVI, which totalled a staggering £1100 and makes us all so very happy knowing it is going to such a worthy cause.

Mark & Lyndsay Thompson

I never expected to be raising money for Tiny Lives and the wards at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary - I'm actually a little ashamed that I haven't done more for charity over the years. I've sponsored people and give a little regularly but not since school have I been the fund-raiser doing the challenge!

Our lives were turned upside down when Crosby arrived 8 weeks early. We'd had a worrying 6 weeks before his birth as Jill my wife nearly went into labour at 26 weeks. We made the difficult and risky decision to allow the surgeon to try and stall the birth with a cervical stitch. It worked and Jill stopped work until Crosby arrived (still much earlier than we would have liked or were ready for) two days after Xmas, small but perfectly formed.

At 3lb 10oz he was, as yet, nameless. Jill finally came round when on day 2 I found the name in a baby book meaning we had a bona fide first name and of Viking descent no less. Crosby - 'from the place by the cross' even though I had originally and blatantly stolen him from Stills, Nash and Young.

It was on day 4 that things took a major turn - we were called at 6:00a.m. by the ward staff and told to come straight in as Crosby was seriously ill. When we arrived, he looked totally different and obviously very ill. He had developed NEC(Necrotisingenterocolitis) which was manifesting itself as inflamed and infected bowel which also led to an Ecoli sepsis of the blood. He was transferred to the RVI and treated 'conservatively' using about a dozen different antibiotics.

Unfortunately, after getting better over a few weeks, the healing process had compromised some parts of the bowel so, having been almost going home, we had to go back to the RVI, this time for surgery. Over the course of the next several weeks, Crosby had 7 procedures (including a stoma for 8 weeks) until eventually we thought he'd cracked it and had begun feeding again.

We were already learning not to get too excited and we were again proven correct in this when Crosby, out of nowhere suddenly developed some neurological problems. He was having 'absence seizures' of some kind and an MRI showed some changes to his white matter in his brain - luckily he seems to have recovered well from this episode and we got him home for a couple of weeks in late April.

But he seemed to be getting a bit too used to being in hospital and after some pleasant days at home, we were packing for another long stay - his weight had been dropping and blood appeared in his nappy.

Current thinking is a cow's milk allergy and as I write this, we're still in RVI with our fingers crossed - he's had more procedures and is getting fed intravenously but we don't really know when we'll get him home again.

Walking up three hills in 24 hours seems like the least I can do by comparison to what our little man has been through. It will be a challenge, but only being away from him for the time it takes.

Jill and I will never be able to thank enough, all of the people who have helped and supported Crosby since his birth (there have been well over 100) but giving something back to the hospital wards 35 (Tiny Lives), 12 (PICU), 9 (Surgical Ward) and Crawford House (The Sick Children's Trust) is now the mission so that other families can continue to benefit from the excellent work done here.

View Andrew’s justgiving page

I am a diabetic and whilst pregnant I worked very hard to make sure my blood sugar levels were as close to normal so as to ensure the health of our baby. Our third child Ben was born 5 weeks early and although not very premature, within half an hour of his birth he started having problems breathing.  We felt totally helpless and so scared that he was not going to survive. After trying various other methods to help him breath he was placed on a ventilator and transferred to the Special Care Baby Unit at the RVI in Newcastle upon Tyne.   We were told that he was not responding or making any attempt to breathe on his own; the consultant spoke of doing a brain scan to check activity and we feared the absolute worst.  The staff were all very supportive and informative, encouraging us to get involved in his care, which is quite difficult when you can’t even hold your baby. We just wanted to pick him up and cuddle him.

We spent all our time sitting next to his incubator with our other two children visiting. Often it felt like one step forward then two steps back however slowly but surely Ben started making progress. One of our happiest moments was when we walked in to the ward to find he had been taken off the ventilator and was breathing on his own with the help of an oxygen tube.

Leaving Ben in hospital was a very traumatic experience for me and there was a song playing in the unit which still reduces me to tears when I hear it now.

Our best moment was when we held him for the first time and of course when we eventually took him home!  Though for the first few weeks I barely slept just listening to him breath!

Our worries continued after he was discharged because we were advised that he may have some development or learning difficulties and he would have to attend a clinic to monitor his progress.
At the age of 18 months, Ben was discharged from the paediatric clinic.  He is a happy, cheeky little boy and we consider ourselves to have been very lucky.  We will be eternally grateful to the doctors and nurses.

We experienced such a wide range of emotions throughout our time on the unit and afterwards. I still get goose pimples when I talk about what we went through and that was nearly 7 years ago!

At 28 weeks gestation, Ellie was diagnosed with the rare condition, Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease. It affects approx. 1 in 20,000 babies and not only damages the kidneys, but also the liver, spleen, lungs and in Ellie's case, the heart. She fought until 35 weeks, when she was born and lived for 40 of the most beautiful hours of our lives. In that short time, she taught us how precious life is and made mine and Lee's world so perfect and complete. We were lucky to have those hours before she passed away in mummy's arms and we wouldn't have had that time if it wasn't for the SCBU at the RVI.  Tiny lives works hard to support the SCBU and we are eternally grateful for all the care we received.

Daddy and I love you so much Ellie, and will think about you every minute of every day. We are so proud of you and can't wait to see you again. Stay kissy-licious for us, love Mummy and Daddy x

To visit Naomi's just giving page please click here

Justin Journey….

It all started in October 2009, I fell pregnant in the April of this year and therefore my baby was due on 24th Dec.
I was feeling very unwell all the way through my pregnancy but on the 14th October I felt even worse and knew that something wasn't right, I went into Durham Hospital and to my surprise was told that I had very severe pre- eclamspia and that I would need to deliver my baby possibly with in the next 48 hours but they would try and delay this knowing my baby would be very premature, with in a few hours of being at the hospital my condition got worse and worse and the last thing I remember was my arm twitching and then I woke up and was told I had a baby boy, apparently I had an eclamptic fit and then they had to preform an emergency c section.  My baby boy Justin Nairns was born weighing just 960g (2lb 2oz) and was immediately transferred to the RVI Special Care Baby Unit (Ward 35) which operates with the Tiny Lives Charity.
 
I was still at Durham hospital as I wasn't well enough to travel so didn't see him for 5 days, Justin's dad came to see both of us on a daily basis and kept telling me how he was doing and bringing me photos of him. When I was well enough I was transferred to the maternity unit at the RVI and saw my baby for the first time.  It was so upsetting to see how small and frail he was and I automatically thought that he wouldn't make it due to how tiny he was....I didn't think it would be possible for a baby so small and covered in so many tubes and wires to survive.  The staff on the ward were so supportive and assured me that he was actually doing quite well, I also got great comfort from reading about other people's story's on the wall as this made me realise that it hasn't just happened to me and other people with even smaller babies than Justin have came through this, this gave me and the rest of Justin's family hope.
 
Justin was on a ventilator for the first couple of days of his life and then they took him off the ventilator and put him on a breathing aid called a CPAP, he was only on this for a few days as well and then he was able to breath on his own.  He also had a drip with nutrients in and everything that he would need to grow and had a feeding tube as obviously he was unable to bottle feed. When i was discharged from the Maternity Ward we came to visit Justin every day and we were able to get involved with his cares such as washing him and changing his nappy, the tiny lives charity helped us massively as we were given a free parking pass and also petrol money to help us financially, also the equipment and the staff that they fund is amazing, really supportive and friendly and they have live saving equipment which the majority of hospitals don't have.
 
As soon as Justin was well enough he was transferred back to Durham Hospital where he was born, and we eventually got to take him home for good on 02/01/10 which was a couple of weeks after his original due date, he did get discharged earlier than this but we had to keep going back In as Justin had feeding difficulties that we couldn't manage at home.  He was unable to take his bottle and breathe at the same time so he kept going pale and floppy when we were feeding him. He also suffered from RSV which is a lung infection which has caused him to have a wheezy chest every now and again and he normally picks up most bugs and colds that are going around but apart from that Justin is now a healthy 17 month old boy.
 
We are all so grateful for the work and dedication of the Special Care Baby Unit and the Tiny Lives Charity as without their help we wouldn't have our beautiful happy little boy.  We try to raise money for Tiny Lives as often as we can by his uncle doing the Great North Run and we are also planning a charity event for Justin's 2nd birthday.  I think it is very important for people to realise how important Tiny Lives is as it is saving tiny babies lives and giving them the opportunity to go on a have a good, happy, normal life.  We can’t thank them enough.
 
Here are some pictures of Justin, the first one is from when he was first born and the 2nd one is a recent picture of what he looks like today, and the difference is unbelievable.
 
Thank you very much

Another great mile Stone for my magical little boys

Proud mum Pauline McPhee writes a letter to Dr Milligan and the staff on the Special Care Baby Unit.

“I am writing once again to thank you and all your dedicated team, my two twin boys have reached another milestone and started school this year. Michael and Joseph McIlhatton were born at the RVI on 02.05.2005 weighing 1lb8 and 1lb9 at 25 weeks. You may not remember me but I will always remember my time with you and your team.

My boys are now two big healthy strapping lads as you can see from the article attached, they have come on amazingly and are doing tremendously well in all stages of development.
They do karate, pipe band, football and also street dancing there is no holding them back but as you can imagine they are a right wee handful but a well worth handful, a joy and my whole world.
So I thank you with all my heart and soul again for the hard work and effort you all did then and everyday. I will be eternally grateful to yourself and all the team in the Special Care Baby Unit for my two magical little boys.

Yours Faithfully

Pauline McPee and Michael and Joe

Read article here

Henry was born by emergency caesarean at 34 weeks due to my severe pre-eclampsia.  He weighed 4lbs 6oz, needed a little help with his breathing but was OK and took a bottle straight away – yes, I know, I was desperate to breast feed but not quite up to it! Henry desperately needed to take some calories on board so the midwife asked if she could give him a bottle and he gulped down a couple of ounces.
 
After about an hour the midwife said he wasn’t maintaining his temperature and he was put into an incubator to warm him up – but he was absolutely fine, just tiny!  When he was about 4 hours old he had a nasal tube put in so that he could be fed but not waste any energy on sucking… still fine.  By day two I was able to express tiny amounts of breast milk and feed it to him via a syringe down his tube and then top it up with formula…. Great!  But then Henry started being sick, so we were topping up his feeds to compensate for the sick!  By days three and four he was vomiting more and more, on day four Henry slept on a Bili-Bed as he was now jaundiced and was down to 3lb 11oz – I cried, but they said that was ok, he’d lost 10% of his body weight which was acceptable, deep down I knew it didn’t look good – his hat was huge on him but it had fitted him the day before!

On day five his sick was brown tinged and Dr Fenton took one look at him and had him moved onto SCBU – I was devastated.  Within minutes he had cannulas, leads and wires all over him, I sobbed!  The staff were great and explained everything to me but I couldn’t take it all in, my brain just wasn’t working and I felt totally helpless. 
I spent hours holding his hand through the incubator door, he was MY baby and I wasn’t allowed to pick him up or feed him.  An x-ray thankfully showed there weren’t any problems inside his tummy/bowels etc and he ‘just’ had an infection in his tummy so we had to get rid of the infection and then slowly reintroduce him to food again – to do this he was nil by mouth for 4 days and survived on an IV drip of nutrients & fluids direct into his bloodstream.  Obviously knew what food was by this time – so it was tragic to see him laid on his tummy, mouth open and snuffling across the bottom of the incubator in search of food.  I went home the day after Henry went into SCBU – more inconsolable sobbing.
For the next two and a half weeks we lived our life on SCBU, Henry’s big sister didn’t like all the ‘beeping’ noises on the ward and decided she’d only visit him once a week – on a Wednesday!  We spent every possible minute with Henry and were delighted, on day 10, when we saw milk on the infusion pump, he was only getting 1ml an hour but it was a start.  His intake was built up each day and I was frantically expressing as much breast milk as I possibly could courtesy of the electric breast pump that SCBU very kindly loaned me.  Once he was tolerating his feeds I was able to hold him for a short while each day and breast feed him, then came the joyous day when I walked onto SCBU heading for Henry’s ‘blue’ ward, only to be told he wasn’t there, he’d been moved to green which meant that the next step was the out door!  Henry & I spent a night in the flat to make sure we could cope ‘alone’ and the next afternoon we were freed!
We will never be able to repay the kindness of the staff in the maternity unit and on SCBU, they are all amazing people. 

We were in a very scary situation which we didn't fully understand but they were always calm, caring and thoughtful, no matter how afraid we felt during that first month we always felt safe in their care... now that tiny baby is almost a year old and can climb our stairs in 43 seconds!!

Told by Henry’s proud mummy Celia

Annie Bloomfield born 24+5 weeks. 1lb 8oz.

Annie’s early months in the womb had hinted that this might not be an easy pregnancy but nothing came as more of a shock than my waters breaking at 24+5 weeks. I was given a course of steroid injections to help Annie’s lungs should she not be able to stay in the womb. She did good and stayed put for 3 days only to arrive spontaneously with a dramatic bed race to the delivery suite where the SCBU team were ready and waiting for her.

They told me she had gasped for air which was good and that she was a girl. They wrapped her in a special something, put her on oxygen and let me touch her briefly before taking her to the red zone of the SCBU.  Her dad, David, missed the drama and had to wait to see her on the SCBU.

I had never seen anything so frightening and, admittedly, strange as this tiny mite weighing only 1lb 8oz. having had one full term baby already, Holly at 8lb 11oz!  The midwife who delivered her was very kind and told me that girls tend to do well but to take every day as it comes. We were lucky, as we already knew there was a spare incubator there at the RVI. The next night was New Year’s Eve and I went to sit with and see the New Year in with tiny Annie. We held Annie for the first time when she was seven days old covered in tubes. It was wonderful. Everything from then on, for the next three and a half months, is a hazy memory for us all.

Annie did very well, helped most likely by the steroid injections they had given me prior to her birth. She spent relatively little time ventilated and very soon managed on CPAP. The staff on the unit were great and took time to explain properly and privately about any issues affecting Annie. We wanted statistics but each and every baby is different. One good piece of advice we were given was to just try and enjoy any time spent with her.

Whilst in the SCBU she had medicine to close a duct next to her heart, which was successful, several blood transfusions and laser eye surgery to correct Retinopathy of Prematurity.

We would spend many hours sitting by Annie’s incubator, just looking and waiting. David was especially good at reading her stories, just to let her know we were there. 

Gradually Annie was weaned down off CPAP onto low flow oxygen having had one set-back onto a ventilator after her eye surgery.

The end of the roller coaster journey arrived when Annie was finally discharged home one terrifying but beautiful day in April. It was the perfect time of year to leave as it gave her the whole summer to get strong. So fourteen weeks and two days on SCBU and exactly one week before her due date, her big sister, three year old Holly, practically single-handedly rolled the cot out of the SCBU as she was so eager to get her home.

Alongside our little girl coming home the other thing that I am eternally grateful for is that my dad saw and spent some time with Annie, as he sadly died that summer.  

Annie stayed on oxygen throughout the summer finally being weaned off in September. We had a small set back in the November with a spell in hospital simply due to a virus. After that she came on in leaps and bounds and now at a corrected age of one year is cruising the furniture and getting up to all sorts of mischief. We will be always so grateful to the amazing staff at the RVI for their care and knowledge.  

The Biggest Boy on the Ward

Our beautiful son Brodie was born as a full term baby at Wansbeck hospital on February 20th 2009. He weighed a healthy 7 lb 2 oz and although he had been born by emergency section and had a bit of a squashed nose and a bruised head he appeared to be a perfectly healthy baby.
 
However a few hours later that the Special Care Team at Wansbeck wanted to review him as his breathing was not as good as it should have been and he was placed in SCBU for 4 days so he could be more closely monitored and then hopefully we would be allowed to take him home.
 
On the fifth day however we happened by the grace of God to meet the RVI's Dr Alan Fenton who requested we keep Brodie in for a while longer, he had a feeling he shouldn't go home as early as we had hoped for. Dr Fenton's professional judgement and instinct proved correct when that night Brodie got into severe breathing difficulties and a one point stopped breathing altogether. The registrar from the RVI was called out to Wansbeck and at 4am Brodie was ambulanced out to the RVI. The registrar had discovered a shadow on Brodie's lung and the only place he could be completely looked after was at the RVI with their specialist equipment and a wealth of consultant’s knowledge on what was wrong with Brodie.
 
I was utterly devastated and in complete shock, my husband and I left hospital without our baby, not how I had imagined our home coming at all. We were told to visit Brodie the next morning at the RVI after the consultants had all reviewed him and he was stabilised. We rushed to see him the next morning and found him in the Red Zone of Intensive Care. He was on various equipment and had all manner of tubes and drips in him, he was clearly a very poorly boy.
 
The consultants told us Brodie has an eventration of his diaphragm, one side of it is higher than the other making one lung slightly smaller and therefore he had more difficulty in breathing. This was a diagnosis we had never anticipated, but the work of Dr Fenton and his team was incredible. Brodie's care was world class, the consultants and teams of nurses taking care of him worked tiredlessly round the clock. After 2 weeks on the Green Bay we were finally allowed to take Brodie home, he had been the biggest boy on the ward in a long time. He still has regular check ups with consultants but his condition seems to be strengthening with time. 
 
My husband and I and both our families are indebted to the amazing work of Ward 35, and for Brodie's recent Christening we requested that donations were made to Tiny Lives so that more babies both premature and full term poorly babies have the chance to go home with their parents too.
 
Francesca and Jonathan Craik

To see more of the biggest boy on the ward please click here

The Miracle Work of the Special Care Baby Unit

In May 1995 my husband Bruce and I were delighted to discover that we were expecting our first baby due on or around 6 January 1996. More surprises were in store when in August 1995 at my first scan it was revealed that I was expecting twins!!! My pregnancy continued with no complications until at a routine appointment at the RVI in October 1995 I was found to have early signs of pre-eclampsia. I was admitted to hospital immediately and a few days later the doctors decided to induce me. On 29 October 1995, Beth Charlotte Nichol (2lbs 15 oz) and Rachael Catherine Nichol (3lbs 3oz) were born 10 weeks early by caesarean section. They were immediately whisked away to Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) where they stayed for the next 7 and half weeks.

Initially the girls were admitted to the “Red” area (high dependency part). They were in incubators attached to various wires and tubes to monitor and feed them. Rachael needed to be ventilated so was on a ventilator for the first few days of her life and both girls needed help with jaundice. The staff on SCBU were very supportive and demonstrated to us how we could do the girls “daily cares” etc through the side doors on the incubators. They explained what all the equipment was for and how the various machines worked. Unfortunately it was found that  the girls were suffering from septicaemia and needed a blood transfusion. We were allowed to watch as this was set up and the transformation in the girl’s appearance as this took place was amazing they gained so much colour!

After a couple of weeks they were moved to the “Green” area which was much less daunting. They were allowed out of the incubators and put into cots with apnoea alarms attached to their bodies which I really relied on and didn’t want to remove even when they were no longer needed!

Everything was more relaxed here not as much equipment or alarms sounding and we felt more in control of our own babies here. As a leaving date approached we were allowed to stay in a room available to parents near the SCBU where we could take the girls along to at night with the back up security that the nurses etc were just along the corridor should we need them (which occasionally we did!). This experience was invaluable and prepared us for when they would leave. Just before Christmas 1995 we were allowed to take the girls home. Whilst delighted at this we knew we were going to miss all the staff who had become friends to us.

Beth and Rachael continued to put weight on etc. and often people couldn’t believe that they had been premature. Rachael needed a nebuliser for the first 2 years to help her breathing but by the age of two this was no longer required. When they were born I’d asked a doctor what would be the implications of them being born prematurely. He said that they may be prone to chest infections etc and may not be able to run very fast. Luckily other than the usual childhood ailments the girls have never ailed a thing. They are now healthy 13 year olds doing very well at High School and are extremely fit having competed in regional events such as Northumberland Schools Cross Country Championships, North East England Schools Trampoline competition and being Runners up in the North Tyneside Schools Tennis Doubles Event. They are both on the Gifted and Talented list for Physical Education!

We are forever grateful to the Special Care Baby Unit and to all the staff and equipment which enabled Beth and Rachael to recover from their very early arrival. Of course we have had our worries but without SCBU things could have been so different. We are very keen supporters of Tiny Lives and will continue to be. We are also delighted that the girl’s school have chosen Tiny Lives as their nominated charity this year and aim to raise £10,000 through various events such as TV Quiz nights, Oliver Production etc.

To anyone going through similar circumstances my advice would be to always have hope, be involved at the hospital as much as you can and listen to the advice the SCBU staff will no doubt give you. It is not an easy time but hopefully everything will work out so be as strong as you can be.

Best wishes
Pam Nichol.

To see how Beth and Rachael have grown click here

Tilly May Adamson

Tilly May Adamson started her little journey way back in December 2007. Aimey and Peter had been longing for a baby for some time and they were overjoyed to find out that Aimey was expecting. It was a lovely time, Aimey and Peter enjoyed every kick and hiccup. She was loved and protected in every way from day one.
 
At 24 weeks Aimey became very ill with pre-eclampsia. The doctors at Wansbeck thought that they would have to deliver Tilly at 24 weeks but Aimey was transferred to ward 34 of the RVI maternity unit. With the love and care of Peter and their friends and families and the fabulous care of the midwives and doctors, Aimey managed to keep Tilly in her belly for three long weeks.
 
Aimey and Peter had the pleasure of seeing Tilly every day on the scans where she wriggled and kicked and played with her feet inside Aimey. She looked so happy and content. It was lovely for Aimey to feel and see her kicking her all at the same time. On Saturday the 14th of June 2008 Aimey became much more unwell and on the scan Tilly didn’t move as much as she normally did.
 
The doctors in fetal medicine had been using the scans each day to decide when Tilly had to be delivered. They decided that with Aimey’s declining health and the signs from Tilly that it was time to deliver her by emergency caesarean section. Professor Robson and Doctor Cameron skilfully and safely delivered Tilly May at 18.46 to the sounds of Dr. Dre the next episode, one of Aimeys favourite tunes. Peter was there the whole time, holding Aimey’s hand and cracking jokes to lighten the mood. They were shown Tilly briefly before the neonatal team rushed her off to the Special Care Baby Unit.
 
She was tiny, 1lb 9oz, a lovely pink colour with a little wrinkled forehead and a little button nose just like her Aunty Lucy’s. Tilly managed to breathe on her own at first but the paediatricians found a pocket of air in her lungs so they had to give her a chest drain and ventilate her. She met her wonderful daddy first; he was so brave looking after both his baby daughter and his wife in separate intensive care units. Then Tilly met her Nunu and Pops who were so proud of their first grandchild, especially Nunu who she was named after.
Aimey was wheeled in on her bed the next day to see her and she got to touch her perfect little hand. Aunty Lucy met her later on that day and then her Mamar and Grandad who loved seeing her for the first time.
Everyone was amazed by her long legs and how she kicked them and pointed her toes, a definite ballerina in the making… Daddy’s girl.
 
On Monday Tilly had the pleasure of meeting her Great Grandma and Granda; they were so very pleased to meet her. Aimey and Peter spent a lovely night with her where she was opening her eyes and looking around. She started to fight her ventilator and take her mammy’s milk. Tilly had lots of visitors on Tuesday, her Aunty Lesley and Uncle Kevin and her Uncle Mark and Aunty Gilly who were all astounded at her size and how beautiful she was. She had lots more visits from her Nunu and Pops and Aunty Lucy who thought she got more beautiful every day. She had lots of sneaky midnight visits from her mammy but mostly she loved it when her mammy and daddy sat with her. There were lots of tears, tears of happiness and pure wonderment at beautiful Tilly.
 
On Wednesday Tilly’s ventilator was reduced as she was trying to breathe on her own and she kept on wrapping her tiny fingers round her ventilator tube and trying to pull it out. Daddy got to clean out her mouth today and mammy changed her little nappy.
 
On Thursday Tilly got to see both her Nunu and Mamar together which must have been nice for her. She saw her pops and Aunty Lucy too and then mammy and daddy bathed her and had the pleasure of changing her nappy. It’s a simple thing but it was amazing and it’s what mammys and daddys do.
 
On Friday Tilly was taken off all of her medication and her ventilator, and she could show her Great Grandma Irene how clever she was. Her Great Grandma was so pleased to see her, her little treasure. Tilly did her first poo today, again simple pleasures.
 
On Saturday Tilly and her mammy had a girly morning with just the two of them. She was wrapped up all cosy in her incubator but she was quiet and lethargic, not the kicking, dancing little lady we knew and loved.
That afternoon she had an episode where her heart stopped beating and she stopped breathing, she had to have cardiac massage. The doctors thought she had an infection so she was treated for that and put back on the ventilator. Nunu and Aunty Lucy were there but they left so Aimey and Peter could spend some time with Tilly. It was wonderful, their little family, just the three of them. Nunu and Pops came back to celebrate Tilly’s one week birthday with Peter and Aimey at 18.46 where they sang happy birthday to her through streaming tears.
 
Aimey and Peter were told later by the doctors that the next 12 hours were critical but never thought that that night the infection would take over her little body. She was resuscitated by the doctors and nurses for 45 minutes, her mammy held her hand and told her all of the things she wanted her to know, about her and Peter and how much they loved her and each other, and their fantastic families. Tilly’s family was there and they all got to hold her and say goodbye.
 
Then her mammy and daddy held her close to them and sang her a lullaby as she went to sleep.
 
For 7 days that little lady touched many hearts, as she did for the 27 weeks before she was born and we celebrate her beautiful life, however tiny. Her mammy and daddy are very proud of their brave little princess.

When you have a baby in special care, however early they are, you need some hope. We believe Tilly May’s story is full of hope. We had 7 amazing days with Tilly, she gave us unbridled joy. The doctors and nurses in the red area of the special care baby unit did everything medically and humanly possible to try and save her. She felt no pain and was treated with respect and dignity.
  
Since Tilly’s passing, we have tried to say thank you in some small way to the doctors and nurses on ward 35. So far we have raised over £4500 with a charity night at Blakelaw and District Social Club, and Tilly’s daddy has raised £2500 by doing a bungee jump off the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. We have events planned over the Christmas and hope to hit £10,000 by the year is out. We are being supported by Marks and Spencer at Silverlink, who are matching each pound raised.

We miss Tilly May every second of every day.

Aimey and Peter Adamson
Cramlington, Northumberland

Click here to see more of Tilly

Ella’s Story

Ella Marie Smith
Born 18th January 2007 at 25 weeks, weighing 1lb 12oz

My waters broke in the middle of the night, without warning, when I was 24 weeks pregnant (I initially thought I needed to do more pelvic floor exercises!). I was kept in our local hospital, University Hospital of North Durham, then a week later was transferred via ambulance to the RVI when it was realised I was 3cm dilated, and Ella’s foot was in my cervix!
After a rather traumatic delivery – we were warned Ella may not make it and that she may have lots of broken bones (luckily, she didn’t) – we finally got to see our daughter on the special care baby unit a couple of hours later. She was covered in bruises from the delivery, one leg was really swollen, she was ventilated, and had lots of lines in... but she was perfect. Tiny, but perfect.
Looking back, those first few weeks were so surreal, almost like a dream – we relied on our family, friends and staff on the unit to keep things in perspective, and took one day at a time.
We got our first cuddle with Ella when she was 5 days old, and thereafter we started kangaroo care, which was just magical for us – and certainly helped with my milk production (I was expressing so much, some had to be thrown away, and it was a standard joke that I could’ve fed the whole unit!)
Ella’s initial problems apart from her breathing was her heart duct was open (this closed with a course of indometacin, so no surgery needed), she needed a couple of blood transfusions, and her temperature kept fluctuating – a lot of stress, but Ella sailed through it.
Despite all these worries, every week, Ella got bigger and stronger, making more effort with her breathing, and after 15 days, started on CPAP, steadily progressing to low flow oxygen. One magical day came when Ella was 7 weeks old and we tried her on my breast – she knew just what to do, it was beautiful.
Day 49 saw us move to the ‘blue area’, only for two days, as we were transferred back to Durham – this was very emotional for us, as although we knew it was a step closer to taking Ella home, it felt strange and unsettling leaving the RVI, not just because we trusted the staff and their expertise, but we were leaving parents and their babies whom we’d got to know so well during this time.
Our time at Durham became positive, focussing on establishing Ella’s feeding, and getting oxygen stabilised for discharge home.
On 11th April 2007, after 83 days in hospital, and 3 weeks before Ella’s due date, we took Ella home, weighing a ‘huge’ 5lb 12oz! She came home on low flow oxygen, demand breast feeding, but came off oxygen by July.
Ella is now 22 months old, runs everywhere, and is a mischevious, gorgeous girl who giggles a lot!
Ella’s nana, my mum, sadly died on 1st September this year, after a very short illness. One of her wishes was to donate £5000 to the special care baby unit, as my mum and dad were so grateful for all the care Ella and we received.
We’d like to dedicate this story to the best mum and nana in the world, and we’d like to thank all the staff on Ward 35 for all their wonderful care, support and knowledge. We will be eternally grateful.

Told by Vicky and Mark Smith, Ella’s proud parents x

To see more of Ella please click here

Our son Callum was born at 29 weeks weighing just 3lb 10oz on 6th September 2005 at Newcastle RVI while we were on holiday from Scotland in Kielder Forest.  On arrival at Newcastle RVI an emergency caesarean section was carried out as we were advised if Callum was not delivered within about 10 minutes he might not survive. We were told by the consultants that a placental abruption had occurred but we do not know if it was the rapid onset of preterm labour which forced the placenta away or if the placenta came away first bringing labour on.
 
Callum was then rushed straight to Intensive care where he spent about 24 hours being ventilated before being moved onto CPAP.  His arm was badly bruised due to the difficult delivery and his arm was X-rayed, as there was a chance that it was broken. However this proved to be negative. Callum was stabilised over a period of 8 days in Newcastle RVI and we were lucky enough to have our first cuddles with him during this time.  Callum also received his first blood transfusion at Newcastle RVI, before being transferred to Glasgow Princess Royal Maternity.
 
During his time at Glasgow Princess Royal Maternity Callum received a second blood transfusion and received 2 doses of antibiotics due to suspected infections but luckily for him these infections proved to be negative.  He was also weaned off CPAP but spent a long time linked to an apnoea monitor and would also suffer from bradicardias right up until about 5 days before going home.
 
Callum spent a total of 60 days in hospita.l However once he was home we had to pay a visit to Yorkhill Sick Children’s hospital for an MRI scan as there was a suspected bleed close to one of Callums ventricles and his ventricles were also on the larger side of normal and may have been squashing part of his brain.  We were given the good news of this scan on Christmas Eve 2005 showing that there had been a minor bleed but there was nothing to worry about and that his ventricles were not causing a problem.  We could not have asked for a better Christmas present.
 
The staff at Newcastle RVI saved our son’s life and we owe them so much.  This has encouraged us to raise funds for Tiny Lives over the last 2 years and we have recently completed the BUPA Great North Run.  This felt an appropriate way to raise funds for Tiny Lives as the run starts just a short distance from the RVI and we will continue to raise funds in the future.
 
Paul and Yvonne Hendry

To see how much Callum has grown please click here

My name is Nicola and my partner is Daran. I had a fairly normal pregnancy apart from extreme morning sickness and everything seemed to be going quite well. On 19th Oct 2007 my waters broke at 4am. To be honest I thought the baby was lying on my bladder and had made me wee but after jumping in the shower I realised that my bump had deflated and Daran had already rung the hospital who told us to go straight in.

Even when we arrived at the hospital I thought we would be told that all was OK and I would be going back to work, as I was only 26 weeks and 5 days pregnant. The baby was measured and checked and I was kept in for 2 days and told that I wouldn't be going back to work and the baby was likely to come sooner rather than later. I think I was still in denial because I was only 6 months pregnant and thought this couldn't really be happening.
I got home had a bath and then started feeling uncomfortable, like I needed the loo.
My mum and Daran grabbed a bag and off we went to the hospital. By the time we got there I knew I was in labour but thought that they would give me something to stop it. I was lucky that they had managed to get 2 steroid injections into me while in hospital to help the baby's lungs and was told by the nurses when we arrived that I was going to the delivery suite. I still thought I wasn't having this baby yet.
 
I was monitored and given diamorphine and then quite suddenly a lot of doctors appeared in the room and told me the heart was dipping so they needed to get the baby out.
After 5 mins of pushing our beautiful baby girl was born at 27 weeks and 1 day and weighed 2lb 4 1/2 ozs. She was held up quickly in front of us and then was checked by the doctors.
Georgia breathed initially but then had a blockage and the doctors were working hard to get her breathing again and after 4 mins they cleared the blockage and she was taken and put on a ventilator.

We were so happy but also terrified and desperate to know if she was going to make it.
The midwife and the doctors who delivered Georgia were fantastic and looked after us really well. Georgia was put in an incubator in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and I stayed on a ward for the first week.

Georgia came off the ventilator after the first day and I was in a daze. I just used to go and sit and look at this tiny baby through the incubator willing her to be OK. The staff in SCBU were amazing and really gentle. They showed us how to help Georgia and do her cares, change her nappy, clean her face and how to handle her.

Georgia was doing well, but wasn't gaining weight as quickly as they would have liked and had a huge swollen tummy. she was given x-rays and they showed nothing sinister so we just carried on watching her grow. After 4 weeks we were moved from the red area to the blue. She still had a huge tummy and had to have two courses of antibiotics for infections but she was doing fairly well. She also had to have two blood transfusions, and had to have quite a lot of blood taken for tests etc.
 
After 2 weeks in the blue area, we were thrilled to be told that we were ready for the green. Georgia still wasn't gaining masses of weight but she was strong and breathing well with CPAP. She'd only needed oxygen occasionally and was breathing alone for longer and longer periods. They had discovered that she had an ectopic heart beat which was monitored but the heart specialist said it was nothing to be too worried about.
 
Just before Christmas after 8 weeks in hospital we were allowed home as we were eligible for the home tube feeding programme but once home Georgia wouldn't sleep and was vomiting all night and seemed to have cramps. We were admitted into ward 6 in early January where we stayed for another 8 weeks while they carried out tests. Consultants and some of the nurses from SCBU came to see us and continued to look after us.
It was found that Georgia's pancreas wasn't working as it should be and her white blood count was always down and her kidneys were leaking. She was diagnosed with Swachman Diamond Syndrome (SDS), a life threatening condition. We were distraught and the doctors and nurses spent hours comforting us as we tried to come to terms with it.

Georgia was given medication and one of the doctors decided to try her on a dairy free milk instead of breast milk and overnight she changed. She started sleeping and her tummy went back to normal and we were allowed to go home. Two months later we were given the amazing news that Georgia was OK. We had been waiting for the results of the genetic test to confirm SDS but it had come back negative. Georgia had simply outgrown her symptoms and they retested her and everything was working OK.

Georgia is now almost one and she is a joy. She has an allergy to milk that she will grow out of but apart from that she is a beautiful healthy baby who is developing well. We will never be able to thank the staff at the RVI enough for the love and care they showed to us as well as our daughter, they helped us through a truly awful time.
 
I hope any other parents who are reading this and remember we are now doing OK and enjoy their special babies too.

 
Lots of love

Nicola, Daran & Georgia
 
xxx

To see more of Georgia click here

Josh Ryan Leader Born April 10th 2008 at 26 weeks and 3 days.

Our story begins when I was 23 weeks pregnant and was told I had pre-eclampsia. At the time I didn’t realise what it was all about and the dangers that I faced - I was actually on holiday down in Cornwall. I spent the next couple of weeks in and out of hospital at Durham before being transferred to the RVI in Newcastle. I was told my baby would come sooner rather than later as I had too many complications. I managed to get to 26 weeks and 3 days before our baby boy was born by an emergency c-section on April the 10th 2008 at 14.31pm weighing 1lb 6oz. I only saw our son briefly as he was whisked away to special care (S.C.B.U) ward 35 in an incubator. 

I was told not to build my hopes up as our son was born so prematurely. When Josh made an appearance into the world we endured many ups and downs. Along the way we were also told that Josh’s duct near his heart wasn’t closing and medical treatment didn’t agree with him. The only option was to send him to the Freeman Hospital for an operation (PDA ligation) on Bank Holiday Monday 26th May 2008. This came as a complete shock but we were both prepared for this.  At first I didn’t realise that this was a common operation but the staff explained it to us and I was quite happy to send him. He needed it doing as he couldn’t come off the ventilator. Josh had quite a few infections which delayed him from going for the operation.

It took Josh a week to recover and be transferred to CPAP and then weaned to low flow oxygen. Along the way Josh had 5 blood and 1 platelet transfusions but finally after 100 days he was transferred to our local hospital where he spent another 18 days. On August the 6th 2008 (age 118 days) Josh finally came home. He is currently on oxygen and is doing well. As I’m writing this story Josh is nearly 6 months old and weighs 12lb 5oz. Without the doctors and nurses both at the RVI and Freeman our son wouldn’t have survived.

Many Thanks Emma

To see more of Josh click here

Sam's Story

Sam was born 16 weeks early weighing 1lb 3oz.

When I was 23 weeks and 6 days into the pregnancy my waters ruptured with no warning. We rushed straight to the RVI where we were warned that if the baby came now he would most likely not make it.

Sam only managed to hang on a few more hours and was born in the early hours of October 18th 2005.

After being stabilised he got to meet his dad quickly before being rushed to Ward 35, Special Care baby Unit. This was to be his home for the next 7 months.

It seemed that almost every other day presented a new problem for Sam.
At 10 days old a Blessing was organised. This was a way of welcoming Sam into the family and of us all saying goodbye. He was very poorly.
Sam had suffered a grade 4 IVH, he was suffering from seven different infections, he was in renal failure (his kidneys weren't working) and there were problems getting his blood pressure under control. His veins would break every time the doctors tried to get a line in to give him medicine. Then there were no more veins to try.

We asked if we could take him home to die.

The next day we came to the ward expecting it to be Sam's last. We were greeted with the news that Sam was a little better! Sam somehow managed to hang on for 3 days until his veins had recovered enough for the doctors to get a line back in and give him the medicine he needed.  He had won his first major battle but there were many to come.  Sam had an operation at the Freeman to close a duct in his heart. A few days later we became a proper family when his dad and I were married.  But then a few days later it was discovered Sam had a defect in with one of the valves in his heart.

By Christmas things were going well, Sam was weaned from CPAP onto low flow and it looked as if he was all set to move round to the blue area.  Then out of the blue he starts to struggle and had to go back on the ventilator.  He went back onto CPAP and started to have time off again at the beginning of January. He was then diagnosed with stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) which meant he had to go for laser eye surgery to prevent him going blind.

In theatre they tried to intubate Sam and discovered that his airway was completely swollen shut, it was a miracle he was even breathing.  Being intubated had caused scarring and swelling to occur (subglottic stenosis). They were left with no option other than to perform a tracheostomy.

In February the cardiologist found that Sam's aortic valve was not growing with him and he now has moderate aortic stenosis.

In March, a broncoscopy showed that Sam has floppy airways so would be dependant on CPAP till he grew out of it, all going well we were told 2 years.  The hope was to wean him onto oxygen during the day so he will only need the CPAP at night.

Sam has suffered from intermittent bouts of tummy distension since he was quite small. His tummy was so big it was impacting on his breathing.  So in April he had a laporoscopy to see if a cause could be found and hopefully remedied. They could find nothing but air so performed an ileostomy to help relieve the pressure. They also repaired his hernia and gave him an appendicectomy into the bargain!!

In May Sam finally started to realise he wanted more than the four walls he was stuck in. He started to tolerate longer times off CPAP till eventually he started to tolerate being off throughout the day.  He started on demand feeds and finally got rid of the NG tube!! After 7 months he finally moved out of Special Care and onto a children's ward.

He had has his own room complete with TV and even a telephone!! He still needed the CPAP at night and still got a swollen tummy. He started to get to go out and about for short spells and even made it to Grandma's for Sunday lunch.

Eventually, after 9 long months, Sam was strong enough to come home.  Just days before coming home he finally managed to be weaned off CPAP completely and onto just oxygen.

Once home Sam really started to thrive. After 18 months he grew out of the need for oxygen. He no longer has a tracheostomy nor an ileostomy.  He is a happy, cheeky two year old. His development has been slightly delayed by his early arrival and all the medical problems but given time he will catch up with the other children his age. He is a very bright little boy.

His Dad and I would like to express our heart felt gratitude to the staff of Ward 35. Without their care and dedication Sam would not be here. We owe them everything.

I made a montage of Sam's Story –
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=12f5ba73890a76a12a0da4&source=category&category_id=12

On Thursday 17 May 2007 I went to a routine antenatal check up, where my blood pressure was found to be dangerously high. I was admitted to my local hospital in Whitehaven, Cumbria where my blood pressure kept going up and down like a yo-yo. It was decided that I needed to have an injection of steroids to help my baby (I was 26 weeks + 3 days), but because my blood pressure was so unstable so early in my pregnancy they transferred me to the RVI.

I arrived at the RVI at 3am on Friday 18 May, where I received another steroid injection. The following day I felt fine but my blood pressure was still too high. By Sunday I felt a little unwell after I had my breakfast. I put it down to the fresh orange juice but then the headache, stomach pains and sickness started. By teatime I felt OK again, so I told my husband to go home and get some clean clothes etc. He didn't leave until after 11 pm so the roads would be quiet. Within an hour of my husband Kevin leaving things started to go very wrong. I started with pre-eclampsia which then developed into HELLP syndrome (this is a condition that attacks your vital organs and your body goes into shut down mode).
Just as Kevin was about to turn down our road he received a phone call to say that they where taking me for an emergency caesarean section. At 2.18am on Monday 21 May our beautiful little miracle Jack Francis arrived weighting 1lb 8 oz at 27 weeks.

He was placed in a rosti bag and whisked to Ward 35 Neonatal Unit. Jack was unable to breathe for himself and needed to be put on a ventilator. On his first day a lovely lady called Joan Loveday looked after our beautiful boy.
After a few days Jack began to show his grit and determination; he began fighting the ventilator so they tried Jack on CPAP and he managed for about 12 hours before becoming very tired and needed to be placed back on the ventilator. On Friday 25 May I finally got to see our little boy!!!
This is when Jack’s rollercoaster journey began.

On a daily basis Jack had a team of dedicated consultants, doctors, nurses, family and friends to care for him and us. The teams give Jack the best support and care you can imagine and took time to explain and discuss things with us.
Jack had a lot of ups and downs! He developed infections and became very unwell, but with the correct care and attention Jack started to improve bit by bit. He came off the ventilator onto BiPAP and eventually got onto CPAP at the beginning of July. After a few more ups and downs he started on Vapotherm and did really well.
By the 2 August we were in the Blue area and Jack was on low flow oxygen.

For the first time we could finally see the road home.
On the 9 August Jack was transferred back to our local hospital in Whitehaven and on the 14 August we got the best news yet.................... we could take our little miracle home and be a real family!

Jack has just celebrated his first birthday on 21 May 2008. He is a happy little man, full of smiles and a very cheeky character. We are so lucky! Every night myself and Kevin look at our little miracle asleep in his cot and thank the staff at the RVI for our perfect little family. We know that without them and Tiny Lives our story wouldn’t have had a happy ending.

Thank you love Kevin, Antonia and our little miracle Jack x

To see more of Jack - - click here

STORY TOLD BY MUM WENDY JOHNSON (April 9th 2008)
 At the age of 42 in January 2007, I decided to try for a baby (my 1st one).  I was lucky enough to fall pregnant within 8 weeks, and baby Ella was due Christmas Day.
My pregnancy was going as well as expected.
 I was at 29 weeks, when on October 17th I woke up feeling unwell with stomach pain.  The only way I can describe the pain is the feeling you get when you need to empty your bowels, but you can’t.
For nearly 2 hours I wriggled about with the pain and made several visits to the toilet trying to empty my bowels. 
In the end my worried partner Paul (who would not have normally have been at home at this time - and just as well he was) said he was going to ring the hospital to get some advise.  The staff told him to bring me in straight away.  I told Paul I didn’t want to go because I would just end up poohing in his car, and I pleaded with him to give me another 10 minutes because I was convinced that I would empty my bowels and all would be well.  But he wasn’t having it and insisted I got ready and got in the car.  I reluctantly did as I was told.
Within 10 minutes of arriving at the hospital I was examined then rushed to theatre for an emergency section.  I was told that the baby had to come out immediately.  It all happened so quickly that I didn’t get the chance to ask why, and the staff didn’t have time to explain.
When I came around after the operation the consultant who performed my section explained to me why he had to do it.  He told me that my placenta had ruptured and my stomach had filled up with 1 & 1/2 litres of blood which was putting myself and my baby's lives in danger.  He said that if my partner had got me to the hospital 10 minutes later, it could have been fatal for the two of us.  Wow, what a scary thought.
Baby Ella was 2lbs 11ozs and was rushed to the Special Care Baby Unit. She was given oxygen for a couple of days until she was able to breathe for herself.  After that she went from strength to strength and gaining weight steadily without any worries or concern.
When she was 8 weeks old we were delighted after being told that we could take Ella home. But as preparations were being made, Ella turned poorly.  She had contracted RSV which is a viral bronchial infection.  We were told that she might have to go back to intensive care to get help with her breathing.  As this was a virus, she had to fight it off herself and nobody could say how long this would last.  This was a worrying time for myself and Paul and it was heartbreaking to see her like that. 
But being the little fighter she is, she made a full recovery within 10 days and we were able to take her home on the 19th December, the best Christmas present ever.
We are still in awe of our gorgeous smiley happy girl, and we feel so lucky and blessed.
We can’t thank the staff on Ward 35 enough, we feel forever in their debt.  They do a fantastic job and the dedication is second to none.  Not only did they care for Ella, but also they were there for mum and dad too for over 10 weeks.  Without their care, help and support we couldn’t have got through that very stressful time.
I have already made plans to raise money for Tiny Lives because they so so need and deserve it. 
Thank you again to all concerned.

To see how much Ella has grown click here

The first 5 months of my pregnancy went with no complications or concerns. Then a routine appointment with my midwife changed everything. She noticed that my blood pressure was unusually high for my stage of pregnancy and sent me straight to the Pregnancy Assessment Unit at the Wansbeck Hospital. My blood pressure was monitored every 20 minutes with no change, it was still high. That’s when we got the news that I was suffering pre-eclampsia a potentially life threatening condition for both myself and my unborn baby. During the next month I had frequent visits to the unit for blood and urine test’s, scans and medication. During this time I had one admission into hospital as my blood pressure became extremely high. During one of my scan at 25+6 weeks I could tell something was wrong the room went very quiet and they wanted a second opinion. The scan had revealed Jessica had stopped growing at 23-24 weeks and my placenta had stopped working effectively. Once again I was back up to the assessment unit where I was told that my baby would be coming much sooner than expected. After this news I rang my partner as he was at work and told him the situation and to come to the hospital. While I was waiting for him I had my mum at my side and my mind was racing, all I keep saying was its too early. While the midwife was on the phone to the RVI, I had my steroid injections to help develop my baby’s lungs.

The next thing I know I was on my way to the RVI thinking that my baby was coming today. Once I arrived I was checked onto the assessment ward and monitored and settled down for the night. The next morning I was sent for another scan and the situation hadn’t changed my placenta still wasn’t working effectively. This carried on for a week. We managed to get Jessica to 27 weeks, which gave her a better chance of survival. Jessica’s birth wasn’t how I had planned it and ended up being an emergency c-section, when I went into liver and kidney failure due to my pre-eclampsia.

Jessica’s was born at 27+1 week gestation (3 months premature) weighing only 675g, which is 1lb 7oz. She came out kicking and screaming, which is always a good sign. She was rushed off to the SCBU where she was put onto a ventilator as she was unable to breathe on her own. She was diagnosed with Chronic Lung Disease. Within 2 days she had dropped her weight to 1lb 5oz. We were terrified and shocked and just so worried about are little girl.  We didn’t know whether she would be able to survive, she was so small and fragile.

However the wonderful staff on the unit gave Jessica all the help and support she needed 24 hours a day. When Jessica was 26 days old and weighing less than a kilo we were told that she needed a heart operation to close a duct. If it hadn’t of been for the staff I’m not sure we would have got through this difficult time. Jessica had many more ups and downs whilst on the unit. It took 8 weeks to get her off her ventilator and a further 4 weeks on CPAP before she could breathe with just low flow oxygen. In total Jessica spent 100 days on the unit and came home on oxygen, weighing 5lb 7oz in March 2007.

Jessica is now a happy and playful 14 month old little girl who wants to be into everything. Jessica still has a few problems but is getting bigger and better all the time. No matter what is thrown at her she fights with all her might. She is our little fighter and we are eternally greatful to all the dedicated staff on ward 35 for all the care and attention they gave our little girl.

It has been a pleasure to help Ting Lives and share our story and show our appreciation for all the dedicated staff for saving Jessica and looking after her mummy and daddy as well.

Daryl’s Story, told by her proud mum Diane Davison

On the 19th September 2007, whilst 26 weeks pregnant I visited the nurse due to changing my GP. During a routine check my blood pressure was found to be very high, after further examination I was sent straight to the R.V.I. for further tests. I had a severe case of pre-eclompsia and was admitted straight to hospital.

I found this very hard to understand, as I felt completely fine within myself.  Daily antenatal soon revealed that although I was 27 weeks pregnant by this time, Daryl was only the size of a 23 week fetus and the blood flow was sometimes absent from the umbilical cord to her.

While I was on the ward I received two doses of steroids to help Daryl’s lungs and organs to develop. 

On the 28th September 2007 my daily scan revealed Daryl had stopped breathing and my health was deteriorating.  Daryl had to be delivered by emergency caesarean within the hour. 

Daryl was born at 8:28pm a mere 540 grams. I was relieved to hear her let out a little cry as she was brought into the world.  The paediatricians were fantastic and got to work immediately. Daryl was intubated within two minutes and put on ventilation.  She was taken straight to the red area, special care baby unit.  Daryl was only ventilated for around six hours before she was transformed to CPAP, which meant she was strong enough to receive less help for her breathing.  Daryl’s weigh dropped at first and at one point only weighed 480g.

By day four Daryl was feeding through a tube and was going from strength to strength.  We fell back a few times and she had good days and bad days, as did her mam and dad.  It felt like it was two steps forward and one step back, but she was strong and for every bad day there was a good day. 

As Daryl progressed to the blue area we began to see a real change in her appearance as she grew bigger every day.  We stayed in the blue area for a few weeks until she began to breathe on her own without the help of the CPAP, but still required low flow oxygen.

Next stop was the green area where Daryl blossomed and we knew our little girl was going to make it.  Daryl required 4 blood transfusions, as she wasn’t producing her own red cells. She also had a complication with her thyroid, which needs daily medicine.

On News Years Eve (31.12.07) Daryl was able to come home weighing 6lb3oz. She still needed her oxygen at home, but she was home.

Daryl’s dad and I can’t thank all the doctors and nurses at the R.V.I. enough for helping our baby survive.  They are all fantastic and their care is nothing less than first class.

Daryl continues to thrive and should be free of her oxygen by the summer. 

To see more photo's of Daryl click here

Joseph was born three months premature, seconds after he was born weighing just 2lbs, Joseph was rushed to the Special Care Baby Unit where he was put on a ventilator, diagnosed with lung disease and bleeding in the brain.  We were terrified and shocked and just so worried about are little boy.  We didn’t know whether he would be able to survive, arriving so soon.

The staff on the unit gave Joseph all the help he needed and also supported us through those first few harrowing weeks and even at three weeks when Joseph went through an operation to close a duct in his heart the staff was there for all of us.

Joseph is approaching his 4th birthday, which was a age we did not think we would reach, had it not been for the help and dedication of the Staff on ward 35

It has been a pleasure to help the Tiny Lives fund as it goes to show our appreciation of the hardworking and dedicated staff for saving Joseph and that you never know when you may find yourself in the same situation.