Reading in the NICU: Jack’s Choice

     

Last but by no means least, Jack Weightman, the first parent to receive vCreate videos at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, shares his reading choice. Jack’s daughter, Sophie, was born with Stickler syndrome which can lead to complications with eyesight, hearing and production of collagen. Sophie was transferred to the neonatal unit and Jack and his wife, Sarah, were able to share video updates of Sophie with their extended family in Australia.

We caught up with Jack to hear his thoughts on the power of reading in the neonatal environment and asked for his book recommendations.

vCreate: When Sophie was in the neonatal unit, what was your favourite book?

Jack: Our favourite books to read to Sophie were The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

vCreate: Why were these your favourite books?

Jack: Her big brother, Daniel picked them out because he liked them. You can put on many silly voices with all the different characters.

vCreate: If you were going to recommend any book to new parents (preemie or otherwise), what would it be?

Jack: Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

vCreate: Did Sophie's older brother enjoy reading to her? If so, what was his favourite book to read?

Jack: Yes Daniel read lots to Sophie, he would bring up various books from his collection but always had to read her the Gruffalo books.

Jack tells us that Sophie has become a very charismatic, happy little girl. "Since leaving the neonatal unit, she has had her cleft palate repaired and was doing well enough to have her feeding tube taken away. She's still on oxygen but that doesn't phase her and helps us find her as she has been crawling for a few months now! Our next steps are to have an overnight sleep study to try and wean her off the oxygen." Lovely to hear :)