‘LIFELINE’ FOR MUM WHO FACED 60-MILE TRIP TO VISIT NEWBORN BABY IN HOSPITAL
LISA JOHN’S son entered the world 10 and a half weeks early in December 2022. She needed an emergency C-section, and her baby James was moved to Singleton Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Lisa was well enough to leave the hospital on Christmas Eve, but was worried about having to travel home 60 miles to St Clears, in west Wales, while her tiny son fought for his life.
She couldn’t drive after having a C-section and was left sobbing about how she was going to get back and forth to the hospital to visit baby James.
Luckily, NICU staff stepped in and offered Lisa the opportunity to stay in a home in the hospital grounds so she was just across the road from her baby.
Lisa said: “When I was discharged from hospital, I was in a state of shock.
“Where was I going to stay on Christmas Eve? I couldn’t leave my son, but I had nowhere to go.”
She added: “Obviously I could have gone back to St Clears, but the panic of leaving him was unreal.
“I couldn’t drive, after the C-section, so I would have had to rely on my family to drive me back and forth, which would have restricted the amount of time I would have been able to spend with him.
“I cried thinking, ‘How am I going to do this?’
“I spoke to the nurses in NICU and they said, ‘Actually, we’ve got a house available.’ ‘Would I qualify?’ I asked. They said, ‘Yes, let’s get this sorted.’”
The 42-year-old single mum is telling her story now to help the health board’s Cwtsh Clos campaign, which wants to raise £160,000 to refurbish and re-equip NICU’s terrace of five two-bedroom homes.
These houses have been used a lot over the years and now really need a makeover to make sure they can continue to offer a warm and welcoming home-from-home for parents during this stressful time.
Lisa perfectly describes the importance of a mother’s bond with her baby and the need to be close.
She said: “My sister and I went to view the house on Christmas Eve. I still couldn’t walk very far following the operation, so I was in a wheelchair.
“As my sister wheeled me across the road, she pulled me backwards away from the hospital. I was getting further and further away from James.
“My eyes were fixed on the ward window. I was distraught and sobbing, thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m leaving him. I can’t leave him.’
“Then my sister said, ‘At least you’re only over the road.’
“If I’d have had to drive home, I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have had to look for a hotel, but I didn’t have the money for that.
“It was a beautiful little house. It gave me a little bit of home. A place to decompress from the stress of the NICU.
“I knew eventually I would be strong enough to walk across the road.
“Being so close gave me independence and control over the little things such as when I visited James, how long I spent on the ward with him.”
Lisa said: “On New Year’s Eve, James was really poorly fighting an infection, and I was told he needed a lumbar puncture, a procedure that needed to be precise and if there were one mistake, it could have been devastating.
“My sister who was visiting, was about to leave, but having the house meant she could stay with me that night.
“She cancelled all her plans, and we spent New Year’s Eve in the hospital with him, by his incubator.
“We then walked across the road, back to the house after midnight.
“Staying so close was invaluable because it was one less thing I needed to worry about.”
In all, Lisa spent three weeks in the house. She said: “It looked like I’d moved in when my parents came to collect all my things.”
Although the kitchen at the time had the bare minimum, it made a huge difference.
She said: “The kitchen facilities are basic, but they’re all you need. You know you can buy takeaway if you really want to, but having a microwave, toaster, kettle and fridge freezer was perfect.
“That’s all I needed.
“Having the fridge freezer also meant I could eat healthily, which was so important to my recovery.
“My mother cooked me meals which I could store in the freezer. It just took the pressure off.
“The bathroom, similarly, served its purpose.”
Lisa added: “There was a problem with the shower, but boys came out to fix it the next day.
“The house offered me a little bit of home. I’d spend all day over in NICU and when I’d come back across the road, to the house, I could have dinner, sit on the sofa, and watch some telly. A home comfort that definitely helped my healing.
“You’ve got no control when your child decides to come into the world. You’ve got no control of what’s happening in NICU.
“You’ve got alarms going constantly and you’re trying to understand all of the new medical terminology that is being used.
“Having a house across the road meant I had control over something; I had control over when I could see my son. I didn’t have to waste two hours a day travelling. That was huge for me. The house was a complete lifeline, it really was.”
James, who was born 2lbs 6oz, is now 15 months old and doing well.
Lisa said: “The staff encourage you to spend as much time as you can with your little ones on NICU, especially giving kangaroo care (skin to skin) as it can speed up recovery time and help babies leave the NICU sooner.
“We were given a ‘most cuddled’ certificate to celebrate the amount of time I was able to spend doing this.
“I couldn’t have done that if I wasn’t staying so close. I fully believe it helped with his recovery and I am so thankful for the gift of being able to stay in Cwtch Clos.”
Helen James, matron neonatal services, said: “It’s heart-warming to hear Lisa talk about how being given the keys to a house in Cwtsh Clos made her situation that little bit more bearable.
“Parents understandably want to be close to their babies whilst they are being nursed on the neonatal unit. Lisa’s support will help us towards our total target to be able to ensure that these homes remain available to many more families in the future.”