Hi guys!

I shared a story on FaceBook a few weeks ago about a bake sale for a charity called BIBS (Babies in Buscot Support - RBH) where our Hudson was cared for, for the first 2wks of his life.

They rely on funding for a wide range of things, from the incubators, to resuscitation equipment, to donated nappies, milk, clothes and breastfeeding equipment, to the furniture in the flats that they provide for families who live far away - which are incredibly important, having stayed here myself and having to be discharged for one night back home without our son was absolutely heart breaking, fortunately I was lucky enough to be offered a flat. During my stay here our parents and girls were able to use the family living room, which again is so important when my parents were staying for 6+ hours when bringing my girls up to spend time with Hudson and for when our parents had to take it in turns to come into the NICU as you could only have 1 visitor a time with me and Dan - it meant that everyone else had a warm place to stay rather than walking around the hospital. They rely on donations to provide kitchen equipment, sofa and TV, tables and chairs, toys for kids, reading books for all the family and snacks for everyone who needs to use this family visitor room. Having this family room before the flat was a huge safe haven for our family and took a weight off our shoulders knowing our families could use this space. There are probably many more things I have missed off that they rely on donations for, but I’m sure you get the gist.

This is very close to our hearts and this place means a lot to us. Although Hudson was born only 4wks premature he did need a lot intervention because sadly, my placenta had failed more than they realised on the scans - initially they thought he’d be able to swerve the NICU because his weight hadn’t declined during my 2wks under Fetal medicine. Unfortunately he needed a lot of support in intensive care NICU because of his lungs due to a number of reasons. He relied on the incubator and high flow oxygen to keep him warm and help his oxygen levels, and was tube fed for the first 9 days of his life, which the nurses took time to train Dan how to do!

I just want to mention that the care that Hudson received and the support we had from the nurses, consultants and family support worker (who is a volunteer!) were absolutely incredible. We always had a person to speak to about any concerns we had regarding Hudsons care, any worries we had and they always gave us a safe space to feel all the feelings we were feeling. Being a NICU parent was tough, and came with a lot of emotions.

The Family support worker who is just a volunteer as I mentioned previously, made sure my girls didn’t go without - as we was in over Easter they gave the girls a Easter goody bag, Easter egg for me and Dan, and a little teddy for Hudson. It’s these small details that really made a difference to our stay and lifted us up.

The nurses care for Hudson was fantastic. These ladies would get the babies out to cuddle as if they were their own. Hudson was absolutely spoilt. They made you feel included in all the medical care your baby was receiving, making everything feel less scary. Most days we would be up in the NICU until 12/1am and again, throughout the night, the ladies would always make us feel welcome whatever the time, being there for us with any worries or concerns we had.

This is for an amazing charity and I hope to see you there! If you cannot make it to the bake sale and your in a position where you can donate, please feel free to do so. Every penny makes a difference 🥰

Love from us all xx

Location of bake sale will be Home Straight, RG14 7WU, you can’t miss us, we will be out the front! (We’re located on the left just after the first park - if your struggling to find us, please send me a message!)

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Babies in Buscot Support (BIBS) raise funds to give sick and premature newborns at the RBH the best possible start in life.

The charity is run by parents that have had a baby spend time on Buscot Ward. That is why we care so deeply, and want to make the experience for all babies admitted to Buscot Ward and their families the best it can possibly be.

BIBS work focuses in 4 main areas that we call keeping Buscot families 'S.A.F.E': providing Support, raising Awareness, improving Facilities & funding life-saving Equipment!