NICU Stories

Michelle & Audrey's Story

Michelle & Audrey's Story

Our baby girl Audrey was born in October 2019 at 26 weeks and 3 days as a result of severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. By the time we had her we had been trying for over four years to get pregnant; despite some tests and investigations no reason could be found for our problems conceiving and we were diagnosed with unexplained infertility. 
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Jasper's First Christmas in NICU

Jasper's First Christmas in NICU

Last Christmas we were still in hospital with Jasper, his due date was Boxing Day but he decided to come in September. Our pregnancy announcement in the June of 2019...
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Abbie's Story | Post Natal Depression

Abbie's Story | Post Natal Depression

I was driving to hospital for the 3rd time that week and I started to cry, but I didn’t know why I was crying. So I popped on some of my favourite mood boosting music, which normally will help me if I’m feeling sad. However as I was singing along I could feel the tears still rolling down my cheeks and me struggling to get the words out because I was crying so much. 
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Wilf's Story

Wilf's Story

We’d been turned away from hospital 3 times. I was 29 weeks and 5 days pregnant, in labour and no one believed me. We came home from the final, ‘go...
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Machair's Story - Nuances of the NICU

Machair's Story - Nuances of the NICU

The NICU world was a world I was thrust into at 100 miles an hour without a chance to pause and catch my breath. My baby was born premature. I knew that babies could be born early but never did I ever even pause to think that MY baby would be born prematurely.
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Madison-Rae's Story

Madison-Rae's Story

Being pregnant as a first time Mummy you have these ‘perfect’ images of meeting your baby for the first time, the first skin to skin, the first photo, the first outfit, meeting grandparents for the first time. Meeting your baby surrounded by tubes, wires, monitors, beeps and separated by glass in the NICU is never what you would dream of.
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Lottie's Story

Lottie's Story

I had never heard of NICU before. When I had my crash section under GA as soon as arriving to MAU, I knew nothing of what was about to happen. I woke up, was told I had had a placental abruption and was in theatre for 1 hour because my womb wouldn't contract back down. My baby was in neonatal and apparently unlikely to survive. I saw her 4 hours later, on a ventilator, with lines coming out of everywhere, monitors beeping and nurses rushing around a darkened room. They whispered congratulations to us and said she was beautiful with heartbroken smiles, knowing she was likely to die before morning.
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Cally's Story

Cally's Story

After having my first born I was told that my next birth would be much 'quicker/easier'. I naively believed this. I was massive, baby was growing into a very big boy and I was under the care of a consultant for previous complications during pregnancy, including Pre-eclampsia.
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Amelie's Story

Amelie's Story

Hi everyone, I'm Amber, I’m 26 and a first-time mummy to my little miracle, Amelie Althea.

Amelie is nearing 6 months old, and I am currently still on maternity leave from my job as a Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Nurse.

Going in to have my baby, the last thing I expected was for her to end up in NICU.

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Lucy's Story

Lucy's Story

My name is Roz and I am lucky enough to be called mummy by Millie (5years) and Lucy (8mths). Millie was born at term, however had to have a 12 day stay in our local NICU/SCBU for high jaundice levels. My husband and I found that to be the hardest 12 days of our lives, until 2020 hit.
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Salma's Letter

Salma's Letter

Dear Salma who just found out she is pregnant,

You’re going to be a different person this time next year. Not because you will go from being a mum of one amazing boy to being a mum of two. But because nothing about this journey is going to be as you expected it. All the lessons you learnt from the first time round will be redundant and instead you’ll be thrust into the most challenging situation you’ve ever faced.

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Flora's Story

Flora's Story

My name is Leanne, I'm 30 and a high school Science Teacher. Flora is my first baby and was due on the 2nd June.

Flora started to make and attempt to enter the world as I was about to turn 32 weeks pregnant.

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Clodagh's Story

Clodagh's Story

Our NICU stay occurred when our first child was born prematurely at 32 weeks, due to the quick onset of pre-eclampsia.

Clodagh (now 7 months actual age) was due on the 22nd of February 2020.

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Aurora's Story

Aurora's Story

My name is Jenna. I am a first time mom in her 30s. I have a wonderful husband. We waited to get pregnant so we could enjoy our 20s and have lots of life experiences before we had a child. Prior to pregnancy I was super active; working out every day, hot yoga, and weekend hikes with my love.
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