Keepsake books for premature babies receive charity boost

A scheme to provide keepsake ‘journey books’ for babies born at Scarborough Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) received a boost thanks to a charity donation.

A brand new camera and printer along with books, stickers and pens were donated by Yorkshire charity SOFAB (Supporters of Families and Babies) who raise funds to improve the experience of parents whose babies are admitted to special care baby units. 

Staff Nurse Alison Gaythorpe explained: “On SCBU we provide journey books for all infants admitted for an extended length of time, especially those who are premature. Their journey is documented in a family friendly manner so that the infants and their families have a record of their very first days and their time on the Special Care Baby Unit at Scarborough.

“Parents, siblings, other family members and friends are encouraged to write messages and draw pictures for their new baby. The nursing staff on SCBU also write messages and place photos in the books to record significant events such as weigh days, changing from IV fluids to milk feeds, moving from incubator to cot and first baths.

"Parents often comment how wonderful it is to have this keepsake to aid the memory of their baby’s time in SCBU, which can be very stressful and means that it is difficult to remember these early milestones. We are so grateful to SOFAB for the donation.”

12 June 2015