Family praise UHNM neonatal care on World Prematurity Day

A family are celebrating being home with their twins thanks to the care they received from the Neonatal Unit at University Hospitals of North Midlands.

Twins Jacob and Jaxon James were born at 30 weeks, weighing just 3lb 9oz and 3lb 8oz, on 5 July when their mum, Lucy Shaw, 34 unexpectedly gave birth at home.

Jacob and Jaxon were taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital where they were cared for on the Neonatal Unit and put on ventilators to help them breath. On arrival they were so cold that they had unrecordable body temperatures, low blood pressures and had blood acid levels that were not consistent with survival.

Today, Jacob and Jaxon, are now 19 weeks old, weigh 13lb 5oz, and are home and thriving, thanks to the incredible care they received whilst in hospital and at home by The Neonatal Community Outreach Team (NCOT), which supports families and babies in the community who require additional care and support such as specialist feeding support, home oxygen and home phototherapy.

Lucy said: “We came home on 11th August, 37 days after the babies were born. The boys had their neonatal check this week and are thriving! 

“Nothing can prepare you for being a parent to a child in NICU but the nurses and assistants do everything they can to make you feel like Mummy & Daddy. I am so grateful to each and everyone of them for taking care of Jacob & Jaxon but also for taking care of me. 

“We were able to come home when the boys were still only 35 weeks gestation because of the NCOT team who are neonatal nurses that come out to your home weekly. Without them, it’s likely we wouldn’t have come home until closer to their actual due date. It was really reassuring to have the nurses and it helped us to settle at home with the boys!”  

Family praise neonatal unit for “amazing” care