6 October 2023

Parents are being provided with at-home hospital grade expressing equipment thanks to your generous donations to our charity allowing us to purchase more than 30 breast pumps for the Trust’s neonatal unit.

This vital equipment is being loaned to help mothers away from Queen Alexandra Hospital’s (QA) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to provide enough breast milk for their children, with a mother of twins adding, ‘it just takes the pressure off trying to buy what’s required last minute’.

The breast pumps form part of various donated items to NICU which are enhancing both patient care and staff wellbeing, including:

  • 2 packs of matching and swappable comforters for parents and babies during times of separation
  • A pocket calculator to new starters in NICU, which staff can readily access within their pockets to help them work out complex drugs calculations for multiple patients
  • Parents kitchen refurbishments including a sofa to help women to relax and a dishwasher to ensure they have a clean and tidy environment at QA

Alex Dawson, Neonatal Feeding Lead Nurse Specialist at our Trust, said: “These gifts to our unit have been so helpful at a time of need.

“As well as the breast pumps, our staff have said our pocket calculators are a wonderful welcome present to the unit, while comforters for parents provide a reassuring smell which is important for premature babies’ development and have all meant so much to families whose babies are in NICU.

“These items are all wonderful additions and we cannot thank the charity and those who have fundraised for this support, enough.”

To see how we can help fund your ward or department, email fundraising@porthosp.nhs.uk.