Parents of baby born at just 25 weeks thank charity for 'Home from Home'

The parents of a baby who was born at just 25 weeks old are asking the nation to support The Sick Children’s Trust’s Pyjama Party after the charity gave them free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

William Boulton was born weighing just 1lb when he arrived into the world early this year. As soon as he arrived, William had seriously health complications because of his prematurity and at just a few hours old, he was transferred from the family’s local hospital in Peterborough to specialist hospital The Rosie in Cambridge.

For nearly two months, William was treated at The Rosie Hospital for significantly under developed lungs, the bowel disease NEC and other health conditions. During this time, his parents James and Amy Boulton were able to stay close by as The Sick Children’s Trust gave them free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation at Chestnut House. Mum Amy says:

“He was tiny. The smallest thing I have ever seen. We didn’t expect him to come so early. As soon as he arrived, there were problems. William was taken to the other side of the room and I didn’t even get to hold him. I was trying to see what they were doing to him but couldn’t quite make it out. They told me he was being ventilated and were taking him to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit straight away. That wasn’t all though. William needed even more help and we were told he had to be transferred to a specialist neonatal hospital, in Cambridge called The Rosie.

“I didn’t know what to think. Each minute felt like forever until the time came for him to go. Before he went, we managed to squeeze in a visit and I just balled my eyes out. There were so many tubes, wires and monitors covering my tiny baby and I felt a mixture of absolute love filled with fear. The Rosie Hospital was over 45 miles away from our home and we had nothing with us. And we didn’t know how long we’d be there. It would take an hour every day to just travel to be with him from our home, which was vital time we needed to spend with our son. I began to panic that I may need to leave my baby’s side when he needed us the most. But before the reality of our worries kicked in, they were put to rest as we were told that there was a place we could stay, free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation run by a charity called The Sick Children’s Trust. Chestnut House was its name, and it was located at The Rosie Hospital, barely a minute from NICU where William was.

“As the weeks past, William did begin to improve. We spent seven weeks at The Rosie and in the last week, he became bigger and stronger and was taken off the ventilator. We left The Rosie and were sent back to Peterborough where he needed another blood transfusion, but again within a couple of weeks he was even stronger and we were eventually allowed to take him home – ten days after what was his due date in May.”

James and Amy are now calling on the nation to help raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust by getting involved in Pyjama Party. Pyjama Party is a fun filled day where children are sponsored to come to nursery or playgroup dressed in their favourite pyjamas and take part in various activities. Amy continues:

“Chestnut House was very important for us. We were literally just a few steps away so if I wanted to be there or needed to be there I could be. I didn’t have to worry about him becoming ill suddenly and not being able to be with him, Chestnut House made it possible for me to be there and hold his hand throughout it all.”

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ two of which are located in Cambridge. Chestnut House Manager, Abi Abdel-aal, says:

“William is a true little fighter and we’re so pleased that he’s back at home getting stronger. For seven weeks we supported James and Amy at Chestnut House, they had their own private bedroom, access to communal areas and were just minutes from William’s bedside.

“It costs the charity around £30 to support a family for one night in a ‘Home from Home’ and The Sick Children’s Trust completely relies on voluntary donations to make it possible. Our Pyjama Party is a fun way to help raise money to support families with seriously ill children in hospital.”

The Sick Children’s Trust’s Pyjama Party takes place from Monday 17 October to Friday 21 October. For more information on The Sick Children’s Trust’s Pyjama Party, please visit: http://bit.ly/2bpm0ls or email fundraising@sickchildrentrust.org.