Video app unites parents kept apart from babies
‘It’s the little things that pull you through’
New hospital technology allowed a father to see his ‘miracle baby’ after a visitor clampdown prompted by coronavirus. A secure messaging application has been rolled out at the Tunbridge Wells Hospital neonatal unit, which enables parents to see their premature or sick baby via video, get updates from nurses and leave feedback for the team.
The service, paid for by a donation from supermarket chain Morrisons, was piloted for three months and is particularly vital now, as only one parent per baby is permitted to visit at a time. John Allen and partner Allison Woods, from Kings Hill, had an uncomplicated pregnancy until Allison developed stomach cramps which led to an emergency caesarian.
Their son Rafferty was born at 26 weeks, weighing just 900g. “It was quite traumatic for us both,” John, a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police, said.
Rafferty was rushed to the neonatal unit while Allison was still unconscious.
Rafferty developed necrotising enterocolitis, a life-threatening intestinal condition for newborns.
He was treated at a specialist hospital in Chatham before returning to Tunbridge Wells, but the couple’s problems weren’t over.
They spent four weeks in The Royal Sussex County Hospital after a misshaped heart valve was identified.
“Every time I hear a ‘beep, beep’ it takes me back to being on the ward with Rafferty,” John, 49, said.
Rafferty spent 102 days in hospital, including 65 at Tunbridge Wells. He was discharged on March 30, four days after the new visitor rules were introduced.
Using the app, vCreate, changed the couple’s entire experience, getting videos and notes on his progress before they left home for hospital.
While it can’t replace the importance of hospital visits, John said: “Just 30 seconds is enough, they send you a video of him kicking his legs and arms, he’s moving, he’s squawking, he’s happy.
“It’s the little things you grip on to and pull you through to the next day.”
John was not able to visit Rafferty for three days because Allison, 43, who also works in the police, was living on the ward with him. He added: “Nobody resents the hospital for doing it. Everyone understands but you want to have that contact and see they are okay.”