Covid challenges lead to more support for parents of premature and seriously ill babies at Leeds hospital

Victoria Davidson said restricted visiting on the neonatal unit at Leeds Children's Hospital at Leeds General Infirmary - and babies not being able to see their parents or nurses' smiles due to mask wearing - are just two of the many negatives the pandemic has brought.

The challenges of Covid have led to a new team of nursery nurses being brought in to support parents at the unit, which cares for around 1,600 premature and sick babies every year.

Fund provides new high tech incubator for premature and seriously ill babies at Leeds hospital

Each year the unit deals with around 150 babies, often born prematurely, who have significant heart conditions.

Some of the most at risk babies are those born after just 23 weeks - just half way through pregnancy - weighing as little as 500g.

Miss Davidson said there are currently around 25 babies being cared for at the LGI neonatal unit, with around ten of those in intensive care.

Some babies have been at the unit for more than 100 days.

At the start of the pandemic, just one parent of each baby was allowed into the unit at one time.

Now one parent can visit whenever they want and the second parent can book into a specific time slot which allows the hospital to ensure it is complying with social distancing, whilst allowing parents to be together, with their baby.

Brothers and sisters of babies at the unit are still not allowed to visit.

Staff have to wear face masks and goggles and parents have to wear masks.

Miss Davidson said: "You smile at babies to communicate with them and you just can't do that anymore.

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"It is very difficult and it is not what we are used to, it is a big thing they are missing out on.

"They are not seeing faces. When you are trying to comfort them you would usually smile and give them a cuddle.

"It must be really odd for the baby. They don't understand why the first people they are seeing are covered in masks."

Miss Davidson added: "Siblings can't visit at the moment and that can be quite difficult for families, because there are children who haven't seen their brother or sister.

"We are very much about working with families to care for the baby. That's not just mum and dad, siblings and grandparents are part of that."

"The new rules go against everything we would normally do.

"We are having to say to mums and dads 'you can't come to visit the baby together.' Normally we would really encourage that family time and spending lots of time with their baby.

"We used to have open access for mum and dad. If they wanted to come in in the middle of the night, they could."

Miss Davidson said a system has been put in place where staff can send families pictures and videos of their baby.

Miss Davidson, who has worked on the neonatal unit for more than nine years, said: "No one expects or wants a baby to be born unwell.

"We get the cardiac babies, whose parents will have known prior to the baby being born that it was potentially going to be unwell.

"But we also get the parents whose baby wasn't expected to be born unwell and had come prematurely, or was born at term but unwell - again completely unexpected.

"That can be a roller coaster of emotions for the parents and for staff.

"Since coronavirus, we have got a new team of nursery nurses caring for every family, supporting them and helping parents with the logistics of having a baby in the neonatal unit.

"It is hard not to get emotionally involved with some of our families because we do have some of them for quite a long time.

"But it's about maintaining professionalism and being there to support the families.

"We are dealing with the sickest babies that there are in the region. Babies come from all over Yorkshire to be cared for with us.

"We don't often get to discharge patients as we send them back to their base hospital.

"If a baby has come from Pinderfields (Wakefield) to us then it's really nice to see them going back to Pinderfields, because that means they are on their way home."

- The Leeds Children's Heart Surgery Fund has donated a new high tech incubator to the neonatal intensive care unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Every year the neonatal unit cares for around premature and seriously ill babies, including around 150 suffering from significant heart conditions.

Before they move to the congenital heart unit they stay in the neonatal intensive care unit until they have gained enough weight to have the best chance for successful heart surgery.

Paediatric teams from both units work together to ensure the babies receive the best care.

The new Baby Leo incubator, which was provided thanks to generous donations to the Children's Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF), is the latest in neonatal technology.

It is built and designed around the needs of the family and baby and will ensure the best possible care and chances of survival for babies with heart, and other conditions from across the region.

The Leeds-based CHSF provides vital funding to support the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, at LGI, in becoming a world class centre of excellence for children and adults with congenital heart disease.

This year, as the charity sets itself the impressive fundraising target of £1m, the YEP is issuing a clarion call to Leeds residents to Have A Heart and help back its bid.

The charity has helped the unit by footing bills for life-saving medical equipment, parent accommodation, vital ward resources, staff training, scientific research and new clinical roles.

To donate: Visit chsf.org.uk/donate to give a one-off donation or to set up a regular, direct debit donation.

Or pay cheques to: Children’s Heart Surgery Fund at 3 Oxford Place, Leeds, LS1 3AX.