Mother’s Day is the day we celebrate all the amazing mums around the world, but some mums or mums-to-be, can find themselves in hospital with their little ones on this very special day.
This is where Baby Beat supporter, Rebecca Hamilton, found herself on Mother’s Day last year.
Rebecca gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Heidi, on 12th February 2021. Much earlier than planned, Heidi was born at just 28 weeks, weighing just 2lb 2oz. Heidi was cared for at our Sharoe Greens Neonatal Unit. Unsure of when Heidi would be okay to go home and meet her two older siblings, Rebecca spoke to us about her time on the Neonatal Unit and over Mother’s Day.
“The team on the neonatal unit were amazing at caring for Heidi and at supporting my husband and I. The tricky thing was that I had two other children at home which, because of Covid, couldn’t come in to meet their new little sister.
“When Mother’s Day came we had made it to the nursery area of Neonatal. We knew she would hopefully becoming home soon but not in time for Mother’s Day, which was tough for me because I wanted to spend time with my two older children at home and also with Heidi.
“At home, my two other children had gone above and beyond to make it special, creating special cards and gifts which was SO lovely, but I was also desperate to get in the hospital to see Heidi. Usually on Mother’s Day we’d have time at home with our two and then visit our parents, but that wasn’t something we’d be able to do this year, so after spending the morning with our ‘big’ two, I made my way in to see Heidi.
“Once there, I checked in with the staff and got Heidi out or her incubator for a special Mother’s Day cuddle. I didn’t want to put her back at all; I was embracing my first Mother’s Day with her as I’m sure all mums out there would understand. Then the nurses came up to me with a little bag and card saying ‘Heidi’s got you this’ – it brought tears to my eyes before I’d even opened them.
“It was so lovely and thoughtful of them and not something I expected. The card had her footprints on along with the date, and in the bag were some toiletries, chocolate (which every breast feeding mummy loves), a teddy and a synthetic flower.
“The generous and thoughtful gift made the visit to see her and Mother’s Day extra special. As I sat snuggling Heidi I couldn’t help but think of how lovely it is for someone to have organised that – remembering us Neonatal Mums!
“To this day, almost one year on, the flower still sits in a vase on my dressing table with the teddy. I often look at it and it brings nice memories of my first Mother’s Day with Heidi – a day that could have been much less of a treasured memory.
“I am looking forward to Mother’s Day this year, spending it with all three of my children together at home. I will be thinking of the mums on the Neonatal and the Maternity Units this Mother’s Day hoping they’re day is made as special as mine was.
“I will be forever grateful for all the nurses, doctors and midwives at the Unit and all that they did for us. We, as a family, will never forget. Thank you so much.”
Every Mother should have treasured memories on Mother’s Day, whether in hospital or at home. We are so proud of our amazing staff and everything they do, especially for Mums on this special day.
We want to not only thank them, but thank you for your support for Baby Beat over both our Mother’s Day campaign and over the years.
Because of our supporters we can continue to supports babies, mums and mums-to-be cared for by the maternity, neonatal and gynaecology teams at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust,
If you’d like to find out how you can get involved or more about our Mother’s Day Campaign, then please visit our website or contact us on babybeatuk@lthtr.nhs.uk or 01772 524414.