Sebastian is receiving neonatal care closer to home

Mum-to-be Carla was visiting family in Yorkshire when her baby was born prematurely at 23 weeks gestation. Liam, the baby’s father, was at work when Carla rang him to let him know that their baby was arriving early. Liam rushed to from their home in Suffolk to Jessop Wing Hospital in Sheffield to meet Carla for the birth of their baby boy Sebastian.

Being so premature, Sebastian was immediately placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He needed help breathing, feeding, and required constant monitoring. Carla and Liam were in shock. Their baby boy had arrived early over 150 miles from home and they faced a stay of at least four months in Sheffield whilst Sebastian grew strong enough to go home. Everything they had planned and hoped for was now uncertain.

Amongst all of this, Sebastian suffered a bowel perforation in the first week of his life which can be life-threatening to babies like Sebastian. This completely shook Carla and Liam. Their baby was seriously ill, fighting for his life and they could not help him. They had to put their faith in the expertise of the NICU staff and hope for the best outcome. To help save his life, Sebastian had to have stoma surgery that brought his bowel out through his abdominal wall. This operation helped him improve and gave Carla and Liam a little reassurance about Sebastian’s long-term health.

It was clear that Sebastian faced a long stay in hospital, longer than they first realised, but they were far from home and Liam needed to return back to work soon as his paternity leave was ending.

Sebastian started to improve after his surgery and which gave his consultants more confidence in the idea of moving him to a hospital closer to home for ongoing care. However, Sebastian was still very fragile, weighing only 785g, and there was no way that he could endure the 150-mile road ambulance journey between Sheffield and his local specialist hospital in Norwich. The safest way for Sebastian to travel between hospitals was by aeroplane.

Lucy Air Ambulance for Children was contacted as we are the only charity in the UK that can fly premature babies between hospitals by aeroplane using our unique flight-ready incubator. This vital piece of equipment ensured that Sebastian was able to fly from Sheffield to Norwich safely and comfortably.

Sebastian settled in quickly at the new hospital. Although he still needs another operation to join his bowel back together and many more weeks of on-going hospital care, Carla and Liam are so happy for him to be closer to home. Liam says:

‘Sebastian being closer to home has made a huge difference to us as a family and to Sebastian’s care. Doctors are now able to talk to us more securely about his long-term health and plan for this as they know that he is now in their care until he comes home. Being nearer to home means that we’re closer to friends and family which is better for our own wellbeing, and the better and more supported we feel, the better that is for creating secure attachments with Sebastian. Being near home means that we can get our house ready (which was halfway through renovations) for when Seb comes home and means we can get our dog Molly back home. It also means that I can go back to work without worrying that I won’t be able to see Seb for days at a time or without making an 8 hour round trip. We can now more clearly see our future with Sebastian at home and that is all thanks to the Lucy Air Ambulance for Children. We can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for our family.’