Sunderland mum whose son was born premature pens book to support other families
A Sunderland mum has launched a book she wrote and illustrated to help other families through the experience when their baby needs neonatal care.
Author and illustrator Hannah Graham has created Looking Through the Plastic to help parents and siblings when they need the support of specialist care for their new arrival.
It has been launched at Sunderland Royal Hospital, where Hannah and husband Mark, a pharmacist with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust (STSFT), spent time following the arrival of their son Peter in 2018.
Peter arrived three months early and spent up until the time he was due in its care.
The first 500 books have been bought by the charity Tiny Lives, with those to be split between Sunderland Royal Hospital and Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI).
It will be added to packs which will be given to the brothers and sisters of babies in their units.
At Sunderland, once its share has been gifted, the Trust’s STS Charity will support gift packs which will include a copy alongside other items.
The charity, which is the dedicated charity of STSFT, oversees the Mini Miracles fund, which supports the unit.
Hannah was approached about the project by the Northern Neonatal Network, which is known as Nornet.
It gives specialist and intensive neonatal care to babies born in the North East and Cumbria across 10 units.
It is hoped the book will help include siblings in the neonatal journey, which can be a difficult time where they may struggle to feel involved.
Following the initial launch, there will be another celebration at the RVI hospital in Newcastle on Tuesday, October 7, with Waterstones in Newcastle to host an event on Saturday, October 25.
The launches have been held in the lead up to November, which is Prematurity Awareness Month.
Hannah, who runs Hannah Graham Story Teller, said: “I believe that books and reading can broaden understanding and empathy.
“I hope this story raises awareness about prematurity, a condition that is more common than many realise and I also want to promote the power of reading as an empowering tool for children and families.
“I wrote this book because I wanted to make a difference and help others that have been in a similar situation, as well as creating awareness of prematurity in babies.
“This book is inspired by my experiences on the neonatal unit.
“In the back cover it actually has real diary entries that I wrote during my time on the unit.”
Hannah says the book’s title is significant because of her own experiences from when Peter was looked after in an incubator, with it also inspired by Sunderland’s links to Alice in Wonderland.
She added “One of the hardest feelings I had was the feeling of separation. No one can quite understand till you’ve been through it yourself.
“The very thing protecting your baby equally keeps you far from it. I remember when my son Peter was on a ventilator, my head pressed against the plastic, trying to see his tiny face more clearly in the gloom.
“Only being able to work out his face through the illumination of his 02 saturation cuff. This is how I knew this was the right name for the book.
“Even though my baby does not have a sibling, in the book I created a boy named Theo, so other children can see the journey from this perspective.
“The purpose of the book is to celebrate siblings going through such a hard time, but also reading and to highlight how books can have a meaningful impact on children and their siblings.“
Emily Cameron is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Department Manager at Sunderland Royal Hospital and the unit’s Lead Nurse.
She said: “We know it can be a very emotional and challenging time for families when they have a baby who needs our care.
“We work really hard to support parents and siblings when they spend time in our unit. We recognise the importance of caring for them together as a family, and our on site accommodation offers parents the opportunity for their children to stay with them.
“But it can mean a lot of upheaval for children, and the arrival of any baby is always a big occasion for all families.
“This book can be very helpful for them to help tell the story of what’s going on and talk over what’s happening and how everyone’s feeling.
“It was lovely that Hannah wanted to launch the book with us, a place where she and her husband spent time as we helped care for Peter when he was a baby.
“We know families loved getting the first copies and we’ll be able to share it from now on to those who come to the unit with their baby thanks to Tiny Lives, then in the long term through our own Mini Miracles fund.”
Nichola Taylor, Head of STS Charity, added: “It’s really important for STS Charity to support those big and little extras that can make such a difference to our patients, families and staff.
“We’re really grateful to Hannah for using her own experience to support other families and proud that we can continue to work of this partnership through our Mini Miracles Fund.”
Kelly Blakeney, CEO of Tiny Lives, added: “Tiny Lives are delighted to be able to provide this beautiful book to brothers and sisters of babies receiving neonatal care, across both Sunderland and RVI neonatal units, where Hannah spent her own neonatal journey.
“Supporting siblings is such an important part of supporting the whole family, and we’re proud to make this resource available to families thanks to the generosity of our supporters.”