A MOTHER and her newborn baby who both needed life support at the same time were able to have their first physical contact thanks to caring staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
This extremely rare event where both mother, Helen and her newborn daughter, Maeve needed the help of ventilators to breathe, led to a touching moment where clinical staff brought them together for Helen to have her first skin-to-skin contact with her newborn daughter despite both still requiring intensive care.
Helen has a rare condition called Myasthenia Gravis which can cause muscle weakness and shortness of breath. In this case some of Helen's antibodies appear to have crossed to Maeve who had to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Worcestershire Royal Hospital very shortly after birth with weakness and breathing difficulties.
At first Maeve required some basic breathing support, but her condition worsened and she needed intubation and ventilation - procedures where a tube is inserted to open the airway and then a machine is used to help the patient breathe.
Shortly after delivering Maeve, Helen's condition also deteriorated and doctors had to admit her to the Intensive Care Unit for intubation and ventilation to help her breathe as well. Due to her condition, Helen couldn't visit Maeve in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and so hadn't been able to hold her newborn daughter.
As Helen and Maeve both remained stable on their ventilators, the neonatal team at Worcestershire Royal Hospital worked out a plan to transport Maeve using a Neonatal Transport Incubator with a ventilator to the adult Intensive Care Unit to be by her mother's side.
When Maeve arrived in the unit, staff were able to place her on her mother's chest for their first skin-to-skin contact, with husband and father Justin watching on alongside Helen's parents.
A couple of days later, thanks to great teamwork and flexibility from both departments, staff were also able to bring Helen to visit Maeve in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit while both were still on ventilators. In between this time, staff took photos of Maeve and placed them around Helen's bed for her to see and even used iPads to give Helen a FaceTime video call with her newborn baby.
Helen's husband and Maeve's father, Justin said: "From day one, the doctors, nurses, and entire team made us feel supported and cared for - not just Maeve, but us as her parents too. Whether it was explaining every little detail or just offering a reassuring smile when we needed it most, they turned a scary time into something filled with compassion and strength. We'll always be grateful."
Helen has now been discharged as medically fit and is doing well. She is able to visit Maeve in the Neonatal Unit at while Maeve continues to be monitored.