Lilly & Noah’s Story
On Unit: 13/04/20 – 27/07/20
Gestation: 27 weeks
In loving memory of Noah.
Below, Mam Olivia kindly shares her twins’ stories with us.
‘Our twins were born at just 27 weeks at Carlisle hospital, they were quickly transferred to RVI ward 35 right at the start of the pandemic. We met some amazing people whilst on the ward including other parents who were so strong yet also so supportive to us.’
‘Our nurses went above and beyond their job roles. Covid restrictions were really difficult, and our babies were 5 weeks old before we held them. Restrictions also meant only one parent per day was allowed to visit and we had to split ourselves between both our children. We had a different experience with each of our twins, we had Lilly who thrived and went from strength to strength – moving forward into different bays and preparing for home. We also had Noah who was extremely sick and was unable to recover from the damage his lungs had. After 11 weeks he passed away and although this was one of the worst experiences possible for any parent to go through, we were supported so much by the staff on the ward who cared for both him and us in his final days. Without them, our experience would have been so much harder. We cannot be more thankful to everyone on the ward for what they did for us during our time, the wonderful care they gave to both our children is something we will be eternally grateful for.’
How did Tiny Lives impact your time on the unit?
‘Tiny lives had a huge impact on our stay on the unit. With us being from Carlisle they provided us with accommodation close to the hospital to make visiting easier for both me and their dad. Without this, we would have been completely stuck. They provided so much for Lilly & Noah with things like miniboos and books things which we still treasure today. Physios and psychologists were on hand and the amazing social worker Fiona went above and beyond her role in supporting us as a family, even after we left the unit. During our final days with our son, they provided so much for us, hand and foot clay prints, teddy’s, towels, things for his first bath, keyrings for us to keep and one for him also, a special book about loss for his sister so as she’s older it can help her understand things. The memories they helped give us are priceless.’