We had great support for World Book Day 2018 and raised over £400 to buy books which using my Usborne perks translated to over £600 worth of books. This year we want to buy a book for every baby who will be admitted to the Neonatal Unit in a year - that could be up to 500!

Why are we doing this...

When Leo was born we were encouraged to read to him. The consultants assured us that he would hear our voices, hear language, hear sounds and that would make his brain fire up and make his little neurons work hard in building all the pathways that he needed to put to work to thrive and develop.

We believed reading to Leo helped him - he heard our voices and could connect with him during cuddle time and bond when cuddle time was off the cards for medical reasons.

One thing that struck me was how few other parents did this. There were also no books in the ward for the babies and the shop in the concourse did not sell anything suitable. If you were a first-time parent, you were unlikely to have children's books to your disposal.

I also wonder whether having siblings read to their baby brothers or sisters would help them to feel involved in their care.

I wanted to do something meaningful that would help the babies and their families improve their wellbeing in some way. You can feel quite helpless sometimes around all the machines and highly trained staff.

I will let those who want to contribute either choose a book from the catalogue or make a donation if they don't mind which books are bought. This is the page to make a donation.

I do hope you will consider supporting us in building a resource of books for the Neonatal Unit in Ninewells Hospital. It is a small, but practical, way to support the babies and their families.