‘The hardest part of the journey was when I was discharged, and I had to leave my tiny 3-day old baby’ – Eleanor’s story #FamiliesKeptApart

A parent in a hospital chair smiles looking down at their premature baby, who is directly against the skin on their chest, wrapped in a blanket. The baby has some medical tubes and wires attached to them.

As part of our accommodation campaign, #FamiliesKeptApart, Eleanor shares how hard it was to leave her newborn baby at hospital, while caring for her older child at home.

In September 2021 we found out we were pregnant and were over the moon!

When we went to our second scan found out we were having a boy and everything was ok, we were delighted.

Two weeks later, my water broke at only 22 weeks and my world had crumbled in the split of a second.

I remember walking through my local hospital in tears heading for a scan to check my amniotic fluid level I was in bits.

A kind nurse escorted me to and from the test and as all I saw were pregnant ladies and families heading home with their newborns, I anxiously wondered what would happen with my baby.

A few days later, I was admitted to St Thomas Hospital London, where I was monitored closely.

At 24wks +4days I caught an infection. I had to be induced and gave birth to baby boy of only 690 grams.

Leaving either of my children was always so hard, and it was heart-wrenching having to split myself away from the boys.

The hardest part of the journey was when I was discharged, and I had to leave my tiny 3-day old baby in a London hospital that I couldn’t reach whenever I wanted to.

Luckily, a few days later I was given a room at Ronald McDonald charity housing, where I stayed until he was discharged from St Thomas, but it wasn’t always easy.

During that time I also had to make time to visit my eldest, who was 14 at the time. He stayed in Enfield with my mum so he could still attend school.

Since siblings weren’t allowed on the unit at the time, I thought it would be best and important that he attend school. I would visit him every weekend and head back to my baby Blake first thing Monday morning.

Leaving either of my children was always so hard and it was heart-wrenching having to split myself away from the boys.

Blake was kept in NICU at St Thomas for roughly 10 weeks until we got transferred closer to home.

He's now a 2 years old big bother to our daughter and I'm ever so proud of him. He is the strongest little miracle.

I'm forever grateful to St Thomas for the first months of my son’s life, but being a NICU mum is very hard.

A young toddler and a newborn next to each other in bed, the older child has their eyes closed and their arm gently around the newborn.