I was diagnosed with severe pre eclampsia at my 31wk midwife appointment. After a week under observation at Taunton hospital, I came back to Barnstaple where our baby arrived 8 weeks early via c-section.
Sebastian spent six weeks in Barnstaple SCBU under the care of the amazing nurses on the ward. My husband and I were there every day, desperately watching and waiting for any signs of progress.
Initially Seb was covered in tubes & wires but they gradually came off as he grew stronger. The nurses on the ward were all so lovely, they encouraged us to be really involved with Seb’s care, doing nappy changes, baths and learning to administer NG feeds. The hospital lent us a pump to take home, and I had one by the cot so I was able to keep up a decent supply of milk for Seb’s NG feeds. We were constantly working on getting a good latch to breast feed but he struggled to maintain a consistent weight gain, so we introduced a bottle so we could better gauge his intake.
We spent a few days sleeping over in the Transitional Care room, and eventually we got the weight gain we had been hoping for and were allowed to go home!
A premature baby and time in SCBU were never part of the birth plan, but it’s made us appreciate how very special our little boy is! He’s just turned 9 months old and we’re so proud of how far he’s come 
