The parents of babies born prematurely have been advised to look after themselves.
The call comes ahead of World Prematurity Day and the launch next week of an advice guide for parents.
Deirdre Kirby lives in Ennis with her husband Michael and two children Liam and Emily.
The 31-year-old is a social worker for Acquired Injury Ireland and gave birth to a premature child in 2013.
Born within the 33 week of pregnancy, her eldest child Liam experienced many of the problems premature babies face. Shortly after birth Liam endured seizures as a result of a grade four IVH brain bleed. He was not expected to live through the night.
Spending 20 days in the ICU and a total of 29 days in hospital Liam was released, weighing five pounds. Deirdre and Michael were visited by a public health nurse daily to monitor Liam’s growth, paying particular attention to early signs of Cerebral Palsy, of which there are none to date.
Speaking about her experience, Deirdre advised all parents of premature babies “to look after yourself”.
“Parents shouldn’t worry about appearing rude when asking family and friends not to visit the new born child if there are concerns about infection. A premature baby’s health can be very fragile and it is important to put the baby’s health first,” Deirdre said.
The Irish Neonatal Health Alliance (INHA) will launch an advice guide for parents at an event next week, November 11th in advance of World Prematurity Day.
The aim of the leaflet is to guide families on how they can parent their infant in a positive way despite the clinical surroundings of the environment and highlights how their involvement must be seen as a necessary component of care delivery in the NICU.
For more information on family centred-care, and to download the Guide next week, please visit www.inha.ie.