News
Ten years keeping mums and sick babies together, closer to home
Aug 02, 2021
The Neonatal Unit at Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) has just celebrated a significant milestone – ten years providing care closer to home for more than 5000 sick infants.
The Unit’s first patient, Evie, who just turned 10, returned to the hospital with her mother and sister last week to thank staff and celebrate with them.
Mum Stacey Connor Espley read aloud a poem she wrote the year of Evie’s birth: “You opened a special unit; for all the babies in pink and blue; to help them reach their due date; and to help their families too,” the work began.
She also read her most recent work: “Evie is turning 10 today; she was strong enough to fight; and I was there to hold her, because the nurses held the light. So today I want to thank you; you have no idea what you do; the importance to the people; of families old and new.
She paid special tribute to nursing staff, saying that not a day goes by when she does not think about everything they did with her poem continuing: “Ten years on, I have not forgotten; the support advice and care; the love and the cuddles; the expertise you were happy to share. Without your help and support; Evie may not be here; and that was always my deepest, darkest fear. You held my family tightly, you washed away our fear, thanks to you, the nurses, my family is still here.”
Born at just 26 weeks’ gestation at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH), Evie was later transferred to be closer to her family’s home in the northern suburbs and spent many weeks being cared for on the newly expanded 16-cot unit.
Stacey says she remembers how hard it was having to leave Evie at KEMH and driving 50 minutes each way from her home in Jindalee each day for weeks to spend time with her newborn.
“When we were transferred to Joondalup, it suddenly meant I would only be 15 minutes’ drive from my baby, and at JHC I could also introduce her to her big sister Molly.”
“Molly didn’t meet Evie for ages, so when she came here, she finally got to meet her and she would take photos into school for show and tell and explain what the tubes and equipment were for!”
Head of the Neonatal Unit Dr Ravisha Srinivasjois explained JHC was the first metropolitan hospital in the State to allow visits by siblings in a neonatal setting.
“Contrary to the widely held belief, there has been no increase in the infection rate as a result of having a few extra visitors,” he said. “Providing this care close to home allows the entire family to bond with baby and makes life easier for families at a time that is often extremely stressful.”
“We are licensed to care for infants from 32 weeks’ gestation onwards with birth weights of 1500 grams or more and the Unit is staffed by dedicated qualified neonatal nurses, newborn specialists, pediatricians and other many other experts.”
Clinical Nurse Manager Janet Walker said she felt grateful knowing patients and their families were being so preciously cared for: “Our nurses are special people with so much empathy and compassion,” she said. “They really do change the experience and the journey not only for the smallest patients in our hospital, but also as crucially for their parents and families.”
