As you may know, my son Hunter was born seven weeks prematurely in December 2019, just before the pandemic happened, due to complications and it was touch-and-go whether either of us would make it. He is healthy and thriving now thanks to the wonderful charity, First Touch, that supports the Neonatal Unit (NNU) at St. George’s Hospital where he was born (who are renowned for their Neonatal Unit and many poorly babies are transferred here from other hospitals) and who raise money for equipment and specialist staff training outside the scope of NHS budgets, as well as a range of initiatives to support families during their stay on the unit.

Some babies begin their lives on the NNU from as early as 24 weeks (the first point a baby's life is deemed ‘viable’) and are barely the size of your palm. With the help of the staff, the charity and the unique equipment the unit provides, many babies make full recoveries and are prepared for life outside the incubator, off the ventilators and then the wider world. First Touch list the cost of the various equipment on their website, but to give you an idea, an incubator costs £26,000, a travel incubator costs £35,000 and a vital stats monitor costs £12,000!!!

During the pandemic, many families have not even been allowed to visit their babies in the NNU, and had to rely on iPads to FaceTime their babies, all provided by First Touch. I cannot begin to imagine the heartbreak of not being able to see, touch or cuddle your baby, being able to visit him then leave him every day for a month was hard enough.

Please, please, please donate to this amazing charity. Hunter and many other babies owe their lives to the NNU at St. George’s and First Touch and for this reason I would like to raise money to make sure more stories like ours have a positive outcome.

Thank you,

Lauren & Hunter