Kangaroo cuddles helped our ‘teeny’ miracle boy fight back from brink...
MUM TELLS HOW SKIN-TO-SKIN CARE SAVED HER PREMATURE BABY’S LIFE – HE’S NOW EIGHT!
A COVENTRY mum has told how her “teeny” miracle baby came back from the brink of death after he responded to skin-to-skin contact.
Leigh Dumighan’s son Warwick was born 11 weeks early and fighting for his life.
Doctors told the family that Warwick would not make it and Leigh and her son were discharged from hospital so that he could die peacefully at home.
Warwick was given palliative care but he began to respond to the skin-to-skin contact – known as “kangaroo care” and fought on.
He’s now eight years old and a loving big brother to four-yearold Wade.
Leigh said: “Our teeny weenie is our miracle man as he stayed with us. He’s now eight years old and the power of skin-to-skin is a life-saver.
“He didn’t ‘suit’ the incubator. He wanted real love and touch. He craved Mommy’s warmth, safety and smell and he felt content when he had it. It felt normal for him and he felt better when he was on me. He loved it so much that our kangaroo care cuddles made him strong enough to fight to stay with us.”
Leigh has gone on to run Kangaroo Care UK, a social enterprise business to educate parents and health care professionals about the benefits of prolonged skin-to-skin contact. The company also retails specialist wraps made by Vija Designs that help parents hold babies comfortably for long periods of time. Vija Designs already donate £1 to premature and sick baby charity, Bliss, for every product they sell on their website.
To celebrate Kangaroo Care Awareness Day earlier this month, Vija Designs are also donating 50 per cent of profits made to Bliss on specially designed T-shirts that share the message of the importance of skin-to-skin contact.
Leigh added: “We designed T-shirts for mums and dads that share the message ‘skin to skin, heart to heart’ the position where babies are placed during kangaroo care, which is where Warwick found the strength to keep going.
“We are donating 50 per cent of the profits from these T-shirts to Bliss with the aim of raising £1,000 for the charity’s work supporting parents of premature and sick babies.”
Caroline Lee-Davey, CEO of Bliss, said: “We are really pleased that Vija Design is supporting Bliss. We know the huge difference that kangaroo care and skinto-skin contact can make – boosting babies’ development, protecting and enhancing their growth and overall health, and supporting bonding with mum and dad.
“In the long term it also helps parents to feel closer to their babies and more confident in caring for them.”