How your #PampersForPreemies nominations have helped neonatal units like Singleton's keep families connected

     

With 1 in 13 babies born prematurely, thousands of families find themselves spending time on neonatal units each year. These stays can be extremely stressful, particularly for parents when they cannot be at the unit.

Long distances, other children and work commitments are just some of the potential hurdles families face when visiting their baby in hospital.

The coronavirus pandemic has only meant access to babies in neonatal care is more challenging. With disruption to appointments and a one-parent policy enacted in many hospitals, families have had to spend more time apart from their babies than ever before.

To try to alleviate these challenges, on World Prematurity Day last year, we teamed up with Pampers and Bliss, the UK’s leading charity for babies born premature or sick, to help keep more families connected with their babies in the neonatal unit.

The #PampersForPreemies campaign was launched across social media together with Tana Ramsay, wife of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who shared her own journey with prematurity and the impact it had on their family.

Together, we asked for your neonatal unit nominations so Pampers could donate tablets to neonatal teams across the country. After thousands of shares, we had your 70 most nominated units who were all sent their brand-new tablets.

Once the tablets arrived, teams could take and send even more photos and videos of babies to families to keep parents constantly connected with their little ones.

The tablets also gave parents access to a specially made video, produced by Pampers and Bliss, to help parents on the unit make the most of their time with their baby in such a challenging situation.

Of the campaign and its impact on families and neonatal units, Tana Ramsay said: "It's all about helping parents to see their baby - contact through technology is absolutely vital at the moment.

"The baby might just be lying in an incubator, but that visual contact is so important, and to see what staff might be doing, like changing a nappy or changing the feeding tubes, and talking about things like the baby's weight gain. Sometimes, when you've got that visual access, it's very reassuring if you can't be there yourself."

Singleton Hospital’s NICU in Swansea was one of the lucky units you nominated who received their new tablet earlier this year. Their amazing neonatal team spoke to us about the impact the extra resource is already having on the families they care for.

Rachel, one of Singleton’s Neonatal Nurses, said: “The new tablet has been invaluable. We are now able to have one in every room – from ITU to our high-dependency units to our nursery area. This makes taking photos and videos so much easier for our team who are able to use their dedicated tablets without having to search for an available one.

“vCreate is an amazing addition to our service that both our team and parents love. It’s been particularly vital during the pandemic when family visitation has been limited.

“We had a situation recently in which a mother tested positive for COVID-19 before giving birth and had to be isolated away from her baby. As she couldn’t visit her little one due to the risk of infection, we made it a priority to constantly share vCreate photos and videos of the new-born so she felt connected with them despite being physically apart.”

Another Neonatal Nurse on the team, Kaleigh, said: “It’s amazing to know that families have nominated us as a unit to receive a tablet.

“The campaign has meant that we’re now able to take an iPad on rota in the ambulance when infants are transported to other units for treatment.

“Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, parents are unable to travel with their babies in the transport and we know this can be an incredibly stressful time. Being able to take and send a quick photo to reassure families that their baby is settled and travelling comfortably can make all the difference.”

Thanks to your amazing support and nominations, 70 UK neonatal units have received an extra resource to keep families connected during this challenging time. Without you, none of this would be possible.

Special thanks to the brilliant team at Pampers and Bliss for organising the campaign and letting us be a part of this initiative, and Singleton Unit for sharing their experiences with us.

Watch this space for more exciting news, campaigns, and giveaways!