World Prematurity Day: North Shields mum who gave birth 11 weeks early early now helps other families

A woman whose son was born 11 weeks early has spoken about how the experience inspired her to help other families.

Doctor Rachel C was experiencing a fairly standard pregnancy when she suddenly went into labour 11 weeks early. Rachel and her husband Jason welcomed their little boy Arthur into the world weighing just 2lbs 10oz.

The first 11 weeks of Arthur's life were spent in the neonatal unit as he remained under constant observation.

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Rachel, from North Shields, said: "He was born in November but should have been in February. I always say Arthur decided he wanted an extra Christmas because he loves Christmas.

"We were in the neonatal unit for 10 and a half weeks, pretty much until his due date.

"He was fairly stable, he just had to grow. We always felt quite lucky, though it does not make it any less traumatic and you don't feel lucky at the time."

Rachel, 44, said things that may seem small could turn out to be worrying, adding: "Between Christmas and New Year he got a cold and had to go back in the incubator and they were talking about a blood transfusion.

"That day we felt like we'd gone through it. It was just a cold, it does not have to be life-threatening stuff."

By the time Arthur, who is now seven, was discharged he had grown to 6lbs.

Now, alongside her job as a psychology lecturer at Sunderland University, Rachel has been working to improve the neonatal experience for parents in the North East.

Rachel is Chair of the Northern Neonatal Network Parent Advisory Group and Family Advocacy and Support Lead for the British Association of Perinatal Medicine.

Part of the work has been getting delivery room cuddles for parents in the neonatal unit. Rachel said not being able to cuddle Arthur was one of the most difficult parts about being in the neonatal unit.

She said: "The hardest part of being in the neonatal unit was having to ask for cuddles. It is often they aren't stable enough, or staff would be back in a minute.

"A lot of mums don't get those delivery room cuddles. If you have the right plan it is possible.

"I can't stress enough - they are your baby. You should be able to give your baby lots of cuddles and spend as much time with them as possible giving them skin to skin. You are parents not visitors."

She has also been working on research looking at the long-term impact of premature births on children who are not diagnosed with any illness or meet the threshold for medical support after being discharged.

Sunday, November 17 marks World Prematurity Day which aims to raise awareness of preterm birth and the concerns of preterm babies and their families worldwide. Millions of babies are born each year prematurely.

Rachel has worked with a number of charities in recent years, including Bliss which supports families and premature babies.

Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive at Bliss said: “To mark World Prematurity Day this year, Bliss is focusing on the mental health of the parents of the 90,000 babies born sick or premature in the UK every year.

"We know that babies do best when their parents are able to be true partners in their care, however this can be difficult if parents don’t receive the right support throughout their neonatal journey. A neonatal unit can be a deeply challenging place to experience the first days, weeks and months of a baby’s life, and the impact on parents’ mental health of a NICU stay can be felt long afterwards.

“Parents of babies who need neonatal care when they are born often say they feel a sense of isolation and may grieve the newborn experience they imagined they would have. We want families to know they are not alone in these feelings and encourage them to reach out to Bliss and our amazing community to share these emotions around World Prematurity Day and beyond.

“By making their own mental health a priority, parents can set themselves up to be equal partners in their baby’s care, alongside the healthcare professionals on the unit, which we know gives babies the best chances of going on to thrive.”