"You have made an indelible mark on our lives"

It is important to us as parents of a very premature and sick little baby, who have spent over three months in this unit to reflect upon and share our experience  in an honest and true form.

Our baby was born at 27 weeks and weighed a tiny 2lb 1oz. He became very ill and we as a family endured a very traumatic journey, but the immense pain that we suffered, has now been replaced by a great gratitude for these special people.

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust should be enormously proud of this team of professionals who demonstrate the core values of the Trust to the highest standard on a daily basis, giving us the highest confidence in his care at all times.

Throughout our journey, communication from the staff was outstanding, which ensured contentment and further faith in our journey. From the point of delivery, we were introduced to members of the team, including Dr Funston and Denise ANNP, who explained the entire process from theatre through to the neonatal journey. The staff were always approachable and proved eternally generous with their time when speaking with us and answering with honesty any questions we had, ensuring our full understanding and contentment with the care being given.

This unit is a prime example of how a team should operate, with everyone clearly valued and treated equally by one another. We cannot stress enough how expert these individuals are in their fields, very often they would pre-empt and prepare us for what might occur in the following hours and days, and this confirmed our faith in their knowledge and experience.  Having the same staff look after our baby for over three months facilitated consistency and continuity, which was beneficial to both baby and parents, as we built a rapport with these professionals.  These individuals deserve the highest commendation for how they carry out their difficult jobs on a daily and nightly basis.

At all times we felt respected and valued as part of the team, and therefore had an amazing experience with family integrated care and all plans of care were co-produced. We were thankful that during the current COVID-19 circumstances, that we were able to be with our baby every step of the way in order to facilitate this crucial integrated care.

Friendships were made, and we will never forget the individuals who supported and showed genuine care for the three of us, during the darkest days of our lives. We cannot help but mention the fun and laughter we enjoyed with the team, that helped lighten the worries and anxieties endured.

To the Consultants, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, Nursing staff, Health Care Assistants, Domestic staff, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and all specialist teams that cared for not only our baby, but for us as parents, through this indescribable journey- please know that you have made an indelible mark on our lives. You are all special, caring individuals and we owe our baby’s life to you all.