The Sick Children’s Trust’s Chestnut House supported my family when my son, Joseph was born 12 weeks premature on 5 October 2012 at the Rosie hospital in Cambridge.
As you can imagine, being so premature Joseph was so tiny and because of this he had lots of complications and he had to stay on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From the moment he was born we were on tender hooks with him. He was all we could think about from day one.
When he was just four days old he was rushed for emergency surgery as he had a suspected perforated bowel. This turned to be three small holes in his bowels which that had to be cut and a stoma created. We were so worried as he couldn't breathe unaided and was on CPAP to assist his breathing. I kept thinking he was just so little, how could I help him?
For the first week of his life I stayed on the post natal ward at the hospital but after this I was fortunate enough to stay at Chestnut House, a ‘Home from Home’ provided by the charity The Sick Children’s Trust that provides free accommodation for families of sick babies at the hospital. This was a god send for us as it meant we could be there for Joseph day and night if needed and because the charity is on the hospitals grounds it’s just moments away from the ward which reassured us no end. And even though Joseph was too young to know we were there it was important for me to be there by his side as much as possible.
Chestnut House became my home for nearly a month. It was lovely having a place away from the ward I could retreat to and have lunch, read for a while if Joseph was sleeping and just 'take a breath'.
As I lived just over an hour away from the hospital in Suffolk but also due to my health (I've had a kidney transplant and a heart attack) the added stress of having to travel would of made me really poorly, so knowing I was right there with Joseph really did mean a lot to me and my health.
Unfortunately my partner couldn't stay with me at the house as he had to return to work, but when he did come to the hospital to visit it was really important that there was somewhere we could go and eat a normal cooked dinner instead of getting something from the canteen in the hospital. We’d try to relax a little and just be there for each other and this helped make us feel ‘normal’ again. My mum even stayed at the house with me on one occasion which was lovely just to have some company.
As there was a phone in my room with a direct line to the ward it was very reassuring to know that I could ring the ward from my room anytime of the day and also that the ward could contact me if they needed to. It was really helpful being with other families too as we could all support each other as we were all going through the same thing, to be able to talk to parents that know how you are feeling and not just emphasising with you.
Nearly seven weeks after Joseph was born he was transferred back to our local hospital in West Suffolk where he stayed for two weeks before being transferred back to the Rosie hospital to undergo surgery to reverse his stoma. I once again stayed at Chestnut House for just over a week and it was so reassuring to be in familiar surroundings again – it was almost like coming home.
Alan Booth the house manager was an incredible support to me, I feel we bonded well and just having a normal chat with him sometimes would just help to relax me.
Joseph is now a happy, healthy seven month old little boy and is thriving, he is catching up with his weight and we have just started to wean him, which is great fun. He has been discharged from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and now so we are just under our local hospital.
To be perfectly honest I hadn't heard of The Sick Children's Trust until I stayed in the house and it really is true to say that it’s one of those charities that you don’t really realise how important a role they play until you need them, and then you realise that you going through this experience without them would have been very different.
I don’t know how I will ever thank them for their support but I am currently organising a family fun day in aid of them to try and show them how much they mean to me and my family.
Kelly Hill, Joseph’s mum
Friday, 21 June 2013
My son Joseph was born 12 weeks premature on 5 October 2012...
The Sick Children’s Trust’s Chestnut House supported my family when my son, Joseph was born 12 weeks premature on 5 October 2012 at the Rosie hospital in Cambridge.
As you can imagine, being so premature Joseph was so tiny and because of this he had lots of complications and he had to stay on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From the moment he was born we were on tender hooks with him. He was all we could think about from day one.
When he was just four days old he was rushed for emergency surgery as he had a suspected perforated bowel. This turned to be three small holes in his bowels which that had to be cut and a stoma created. We were so worried as he couldn't breathe unaided and was on CPAP to assist his breathing. I kept thinking he was just so little, how could I help him?
For the first week of his life I stayed on the post natal ward at the hospital but after this I was fortunate enough to stay at Chestnut House, a ‘Home from Home’ provided by the charity The Sick Children’s Trust that provides free accommodation for families of sick babies at the hospital. This was a god send for us as it meant we could be there for Joseph day and night if needed and because the charity is on the hospitals grounds it’s just moments away from the ward which reassured us no end. And even though Joseph was too young to know we were there it was important for me to be there by his side as much as possible.
Chestnut House became my home for nearly a month. It was lovely having a place away from the ward I could retreat to and have lunch, read for a while if Joseph was sleeping and just 'take a breath'.
As I lived just over an hour away from the hospital in Suffolk but also due to my health (I've had a kidney transplant and a heart attack) the added stress of having to travel would of made me really poorly, so knowing I was right there with Joseph really did mean a lot to me and my health.
Unfortunately my partner couldn't stay with me at the house as he had to return to work, but when he did come to the hospital to visit it was really important that there was somewhere we could go and eat a normal cooked dinner instead of getting something from the canteen in the hospital. We’d try to relax a little and just be there for each other and this helped make us feel ‘normal’ again. My mum even stayed at the house with me on one occasion which was lovely just to have some company.
As there was a phone in my room with a direct line to the ward it was very reassuring to know that I could ring the ward from my room anytime of the day and also that the ward could contact me if they needed to. It was really helpful being with other families too as we could all support each other as we were all going through the same thing, to be able to talk to parents that know how you are feeling and not just emphasising with you.
Nearly seven weeks after Joseph was born he was transferred back to our local hospital in West Suffolk where he stayed for two weeks before being transferred back to the Rosie hospital to undergo surgery to reverse his stoma. I once again stayed at Chestnut House for just over a week and it was so reassuring to be in familiar surroundings again – it was almost like coming home.
Alan Booth the house manager was an incredible support to me, I feel we bonded well and just having a normal chat with him sometimes would just help to relax me.
Joseph is now a happy, healthy seven month old little boy and is thriving, he is catching up with his weight and we have just started to wean him, which is great fun. He has been discharged from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and now so we are just under our local hospital.
To be perfectly honest I hadn't heard of The Sick Children's Trust until I stayed in the house and it really is true to say that it’s one of those charities that you don’t really realise how important a role they play until you need them, and then you realise that you going through this experience without them would have been very different.
I don’t know how I will ever thank them for their support but I am currently organising a family fun day in aid of them to try and show them how much they mean to me and my family.
Kelly Hill, Joseph’s mum
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