Felix's First Birthday- Thank you Neonatal Trust

Worldwide, one baby in ten is born premature: every year, about 15 million children are born too early. Our Felix was one of the ten born prematurely.

After a week in hospital and becoming seriously ill I was diagnosed with Preeclampsia and severe HELLP syndrome. On Friday 13th of March at 6:03am via Emergency C Section Felix arrived crying on arrival at 32+2 weeks weighing 1500g (3.3 pounds).

Felix was in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Christchurch Hospital for 52 days. From March 13th to 2nd May 2020. We had many ups and downs during our time there. Most of our stay was during the height of lockdown, where restrictions were placed on visitors to the hospital and only one parent was allowed to visit at a time. Leaving Felix and returning home each day was an incredibly strange feeling and not being able to have the face to face support from family made it even more difficult. The Nurses, Drs and NICU staffs encouragement, smiles, care packs, coffees, little pick me up chocolates and checking in with us during a time of huge stress made all the difference.

We are so lucky to have had the wealth of knowledge and hospital care from the Neonatal Unit here in Christchurch without it our little guy wouldn't be here.

This has been quite the journey for our first child and one that has not been easy. As a way to say thank you for all the work and support The Neonatal Trust has provided, we would like to encourage family and friends to donate money to the Trust to celebrate this important milestone of Felix for his first Birthday. We hope that this might provide support, much like it did for us, and benefit other babies and families going through the Neonatal Units at the Christchurch Hospital and others across New Zealand.