Past Patients
Matilda
Matilda was born naturally 12 weeks early and weighed exactly 1kg (2lbs 3oz). There were fourteen of us in the delivery room including a squadron from SCBU.
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Matilda Now - click to zoom |
Within seconds of being born, and before mum could see her even, she was
transferred into a mobile incubator unit equipped for every eventuality and then whisked straight into Special Care where she stayed for a further 76 days. She lost weight when she was born and went down to just 800g - that's significantly less than a bag of sugar!
Most parents get to give their new babies a kiss and cuddle within minutes of being born but because of the risk of infection, for the first few weeks we had to make do with putting a thoroughly sterilised hand into her incubator and holding her hand or stroking her forehead.
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Matilda Then - click to zoom |
As the days went by, the nurses encouraged us ot get more and more involved with Matilda - changing her tiny little nappy, giving her a little wash, talking to her and reading her stories - all through the little access ports on her incubator. Finally the day came where a well practiced nurse carefully lifter our tiny little daughter out of the incubator, along with a plethora of pipes, canulas and sensors, and handed her to mum for a cuddle.
The weeks started to mount up and Matilda had good days and bad days. Anyone that has had a baby in SCBU tells you it is a rollercoaster and it is so true. One good friend said to us at the beginning that the lower the troughs, the higher the peaks - something we tried desperately to keep in mind when Matilda was poorly at times.
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SCBU Staff - click to zoom |
We made some really good friends with the staff there too. They were always happy to have a laugh when we were upbeat, offer a shoulder to cry on, give advice and help or support when needed, helped explain the medical blurb and most of all - we saw how much they really loved and cared for Matilda.We had a routine of calling SCBU every night before we went to bed, often to be told 'I'll give her a kiss and tell her you called' - exactly the sort of kind, comforting words you want to hear when you are so separated from your precious new baby.
Matilda is home now. As with any self-respecting superstar, she never travels alone and has brought with her a vast array of oxygen cylinders, pipes and a cocktail of medicines and drugs. It's been tricky getting the hang of it all but worth every moment to have her home.
We're forever indebted to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Gloucester hospital - when I look back to photos of her when she was just 800g and covered in drips, masks and beeping machines it's not far short of a miracle to see her now. We have pre-warned our friends and family to expect repeated appeals of sponsorship on behalf of Scoo-B-Doo from us in the future!
Jon, Marie-Louise and Matilda
Liam
"Liam was 14 weeks early when her was born. Our joy that he was here, and alive, was tinged with terror and panic."
"For the first days and weeks of our baby's life, he was tucked in an incubator in Special Care, surrounded by banks of monitors, bleeping machines and terrifying alarm bells. We knew that if Liam had any hope of survival, this would be where he would find it"
"Liam was a fighter. He won through. The tiny mite that once weighed just 870g (1lb 14oz) came home aged three months and weighing in at over 7lbs!"
Hayley, Calvin, sister Danielle and Liam