Baby Jack was born fighting for his life after arriving eight weeks premature. His parents, Emma and Nat, credit the dedication of the teams at Lincolnshire’s hospitals’ neonatal units for his survival. Emma is now undertaking a charity abseil in gratitude of the care for her son.
When Jack was born eight weeks early at Pilgrim Hospital’s Maternity Unit, his lungs were not fully formed, and he was unable to breathe independently. He was placed on a special C-PAP machine which helped him to breathe by delivering air into his tiny lungs through small tubes inserted into his nose.
It took twelve hours to stabilise him, to ensure he was able to be safely transferred to Lincoln County Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit where he could receive more specialist care.
Mum, Nat, had complications during her pregnancy and over Christmas 2023 spent three days in hospital when just 28 weeks pregnant. On 8 February 2024, she was once again rushed to hospital and a few hours later Jack was born.
It was a worrying time for Jack’s other mum, Emma. She said: “Jack was immediately placed into an incubator, and I had to follow him to ICU leaving Nat in theatre. She had lost half her blood and need transfusions desperately.”
Jack spent a week at Lincoln’s neonatal unit, then, when he was strong enough to breathe independently, he was transferred back to Pilgrim Hospital, Boston and closer to home. It took two more weeks for him to learn to feed but finally he was well enough to leave hospital and join his sisters at the family home in Boston.
Emma and Nat will be forever indebted to the exemplary care Jack received. To say thank you, Emma is abseiling from Liverpool Football Club’s iconic Anfield stadium in August as a fundraiser for United Lincolnshire Hospital’s Charity. Emma explained: “There are not enough words to thank the staff for what they did. I don’t know what we would have done without them; we just want to show our appreciation.
“I have been a fan of Liverpool FC for over 30 years, ever since I went with my dad at the age of 10 to see my first game. I am looking forward to the abseil and will be nervous, but I am definitely doing this.”
Charity Manager, Ben Petts said: “It is wonderful that Emma is supporting us in this way. Each year, the charity funds a wide range of projects to support our staff and the patients they care for, from scalp coolers that prevent hair loss in cancer patients to MRI play therapy for children needing a scan, from a Sensory Room at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston to teddy bears for babies on the neonatal unit.”
Emma is aiming to fundraise £500. To help her achieve her target please visit: https://www.ulhcharity.org.uk/fundraisers/the-anfield-abseil-for-neonatal
