After our daughter was born 8 weeks premature she spent 5 weeks on special care baby unit (SCBU) needing around the clock care.

As a thank you I will be participating in the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge on the 11th of May 2024!

this will be a little out of my comfort zone having to endure up to 12 hours of walking with the three peaks of Pen-y-Ghent (694m), Whernside (736m) and Ingleborough (723m) This will take place over 25 miles (40km) including 1585m (5,200ft) of ascent.

But, this is nothing compared to what some families and babies have to go though if the first few weeks of life.

The services and staff were amazing throuout our time on the unit. Even after leaving SCBU we had support by means of group get togethers, for example on World Prematurity Day that takes place on the 17th of November ever year.

Whilst on the ward there were famalies from many different backgrounds whos needs were all met. From a nurse sitting with the little one whilst you had something to eat all the way to providing clothing, nappies and milk for those who need it.

When babies are born prematurely, their tiny bodies are not strong enough to cope with the outside world, making them vulnerable and in need of round the clock support. Care on the unit focuses on allowing babies to continue to develop while monitoring and supporting them with issues usually associated with their breathing, feeding and muscle development. Devastatingly, some babies receive end of life care.

The average pregnancy lasts around 40 weeks but Rotherham’s neonatal unit, also known as the Special Care Baby Unit, cares for youngsters born from 27 weeks.

Babies may spend a few days or weeks on the unit, but occasionally this could be up to six months.

The unit currently cares for an average of 14 babies at a time. There will be space for 16 babies once the unit is reconfigured.

There are facilities for babies who need a range of support, including those who need very intensive care, which can be given in our high dependency and intensive care rooms. For those babies who do not need this level of care, the unit has two special care rooms alongside two cubicles.

As the facilities are constantly used by parents, they are now worn and outdated. The unit was designed in the late 1970s and built 40 years ago. The Trust will completely refurbish the unit to future-proof it for generations to come, with the charity fundraising for the added extras. The heating, lighting and accessibility need updating and the old-fashioned ‘viewing corridor’ removed to create additional space.

The Tiny Toes appeal will fund a complete overhaul of the existing family rooms, including repainting and soft furnishings, new furniture, modern showers and kitchen facilities.

It will fund recliner chairs so parents can sleep beside their baby’s cot, a ‘wobble room’ for parents and staff who need time away from the ward, resources for siblings and keepsakes for parents.

Parents tell us that having a premature baby is an emotional time. They are often faced with weeks of additional care and it’s a tiring and stressful time as we nurse their little ones to full health at Rotherham Hospital.

We want to provide a new unit for these much-loved babies and their parents and the staff caring for them who do an amazing job supporting the families 24/7.