Sarah

Thank you Sarah for kindly sharing your story!

"In August 2025 when I was 34 weeks pregnant, I had a check-up scan in the hospital. Afterwards I went home and was delighted that everything was fine.  

However, at 9pm that evening my waters broke and my husband brought me back to the hospital, but we didn’t think I was near delivery. I was admitted and monitored overnight but our baby boy arrived very suddenly the next morning. A midwife had called my husband as I was wheeled to the delivery room and he on the Samuel Beckett Bridge when our baby arrived. 

After the birth, I remained in the delivery room in shock as it all happened so fast. The thoughtful staff took a picture of me with my 5lb 10oz baby before he was transported to the NICU due to breathing difficulties. My husband finally arrived, disappointed that he had missed the birth but still there was a wonderful surprise - a son! We were very grateful to the team who helped to deliver our boy safely when I called for help. 

A few hours after the birth, a kind nurse brought us down to visit our baby in the NICU for the first time. 

In all the times I had imagined the birth and wondered what my baby might look like, I had never considered that our baby would need such a high level of support. We entered the NICU and saw him in the incubator with all the wires, through the glass. All my efforts to wash and pack clothes melted into insignificance as this was a baby who would not be ready to go home for a while. Worried and concerned and unable to see his face properly, we sat with him and watched him through the glass for several days.  

The staff were kind and understanding and did their best to involve us in his care in the days that followed: tube feeding, changing his nappy, writing his name on his chart which was attached to the incubator.  

It was three days before I held him, tiny and still attached to many machines. What a magical moment this was, not at all like it is in the movies, but I think many people take for granted the importance of being able to physically hold one’s own child. In that moment and those that followed, nothing else mattered. 

Hugh stayed in the NICU for 17 days. During this time, he learned to breathe and feed independently and was treated for jaundice too. The precise care tiny babies receive in the NICU is unforgettable. 

There is a parent's room in the NICU in Holles Street with tea and biscuits, a place to go to take a breath and meet other parents in similar situations, many of whom just need somewhere to gobble a sandwich, take a moment for themselves or read some information.  

We will never forget the amazing facilities and staff in The National Maternity Hospital who kept our tiny baby alive in those initial days, and we hope that with your support they can continue their incredible work. "