Cardiff neonatal staff send baby videos to help parents
- Published
Parents with babies in intensive care can now receive video updates when away from their bedside to help provide reassurance.
Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales said it had to reduce "separation anxiety".
New mum Nina Bucur, from Grangetown, said it was "wonderful" to receive a video of her son Eric.
"The staff made a real effort to make my first Mother's Day very special," she said.
Staff in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit have started recording short video updates and sharing them with parents like Ms Bucur, whose son was born at 24 weeks on 18 February weighing just 1.9lb (900g).
The messages can be recorded on any device with a camera and shared securely using an app called , after parents register for an account which has to be approved by hospital staff.
Mary Glover, lead nurse at the hospital, said some parents had other children and responsibilities "so being with their baby all the time is impossible".
"It's been so rewarding for us to use technology to keep that bond going," she said.
The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, which manages hospital services, received praise from other parents whose children needed hospital care after of the new messaging service on Facebook.
One mother said: "This would have been so amazing when we were there... times where we didn't want to go get food or leave the ward because we were worried about leaving our baby."
- Published28 March 2019