Eight years ago, my life changed forever when my daughter was born at just 32 weeks' gestation. Weighing only 1.44kg, she was tiny and fragile, and was soon admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Royal Derby Hospital.
What followed was one of the most challenging periods of my life. My daughter spent more than a month in NICU, surrounded by incubators, monitors, and the dedicated healthcare professionals who cared for her every day.
While my focus was understandably on helping my premature baby grow stronger, I noticed another group of people quietly navigating their own difficult journey, the siblings at home.
I watched countless families trying to divide their time between a baby in intensive care and children waiting at home. I saw parents rushing between the hospital and home, making tearful video calls, and doing their best to reassure children who could not fully understand why Mum or Dad wasn't there.
When I was about to be discharged after a difficult admission of my own as I suffered from Preeclampsia, the consultant obstetrician caring for me said, “Look after yourself, and remember, next time you'll have one at home too.”
That thought stayed with me, I found myself wondering: what if my next baby needed neonatal care? How would I explain that to my older daughter, who would still be a child herself and still need her mum?
I did go onto have another beautiful daughter two years later and you can only imagine the stress I was going though fearing that I may have to go through this again.
I think for many older siblings, having a baby brother or sister in NICU can feel confusing, lonely, and isolating. I am sure they miss their parents, worry about their new baby sister or brother, wonder why mummy came home without the baby and struggle to make sense of what is happening around them.
