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19th November 2024
10:35am GMT
Marking World Prematurity Day is something incredibly special for the National Maternity Hospital.
This year, the NMH held a celebratory event for World Prematurity Day. They welcomed back parents and children who had been cared for in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The event, kindly supported by The NMH Foundation, brought parents, children, and colleagues of the NICU and wider hospital together to meet and share their stories and experiences.
One in 10 babies are born prematurely globally. The NMH Neonatal Unit is a recognised centre of excellence and receives referrals for acutely ill and preterm babies from across the country.
The hospital’s NICU is one of four designated tertiary care NICUs in Ireland that provides specialised care to acutely ill and preterm babies.
Master of The National Maternity Hospital, Professor Shane Higgins, said:
"Thousands of families have gone through many challenging and stressful times while their babies were in the care of our dedicated and expert team in The NMH NICU.
"Last year alone over 1,200 babies were admitted to our NICU. Today is an important day to mark their NICU journey."
Dr Deirdre Sweetman, Head of The National Maternity Hospital Neonatal Unit added:
"We celebrate the incredible journey that our NICU graduates and their families have made. By hosting this event, we wish to shine a light on the importance of supporting and nurturing preterm infants which will ensure better outcomes for babies and their families.”
The National Maternity Hospital was also lit up in purple to mark World Prematurity Day.
