Maternity and neonatal staff at Lister Hospital joined East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals’ Charity and local families at a special event to unveil the new LifeStart resuscitator trolley that has been funded by a kind legacy left to the charity.
The LifeStart resuscitator trolley, which cost £15,000, allows the care of premature babies to take place at their mother’s bedside, even for babies that need resuscitation.
As well as allowing mother to stay close to baby, the trolley ensures clinicians can support baby’s breathing and heart rate immediately after birth. It also enables the delayed clamping of the umbilical cord which maximises the amount of blood the baby receives from the placenta.
Consultant obstetrician, Dr Rachel Wooldridge, was at the event. She said: “We are delighted that thanks to a very generous legacy, we have been able to help us purchase a LifeStart resuscitator trolley which will help us give even better care to our premature babies.”
“When babies are born prematurely, it is hard to implement delayed cord clamping as they often need to go to a special unit for additional help with their breathing and heart rate.
“The LifeStart resuscitator trolley is a small and mobile machine which can be placed next to the mother so that the cord can remain intact whilst care is given to the baby. The trolley has a heated mattress to prevent babies from getting cold. It will help many families who face a worrying time with their premature babies.”
Also at the event was Amy Phillips whose baby, Isla, was born at Lister Hospital on 25 August at 28 weeks.
Amy said: “Isla was premature, but she was well enough to receive the benefits of delayed cord clamping. I’m delighted that Lister now has a LifeStart resuscitator trolley so that more babies can experience those benefits too. All babies deserve the best start in life.”
Eloise Huddleston – director of East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals’ Charity which supports Lister Hospital, as well as Hertford County Hospital, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre and the New QEII Hospital – said: “We would like the thank the very kind donor who left us a gift in their will which allowed us to purchase this machine. The trolley will make a huge difference to our tiniest babies and their mothers. Their generous gift has left a truly lasting legacy.”