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  • ‘Twas the night before Christmas, in the neonatal intensive care, all the babies were sleeping, while sounds of alarms filled the air. The nurses making rounds, double-checking their meds, while tucking the little babies, snug deep in their beds. The stethoscopes were hung, by the preemies with care, in hopes that they would all soon, be breathing room air. When out in the hall, there arose such a clatter, the nurses came running, to see what was the matter. Up from the desk, the tech flew with a fret, to make sure all was well, in each baby’s isolette. The respiratory therapist, arrived on the double, but the babies were all okay, on their oxygen and bubble. The nurse was baffled, and exclaimed in a tiff, “Is this really happening tonight? And on my third shift?” When what to their wondering eyes should appear? but a man in a suit, who loved the babies so dear. With a clipboard in hand, and a velvet satchel too, they knew at that moment; he must be St. NICU. He was dressed in red scrubs, from his tip to his toe, and wearing surgical gloves, so the germs would not grow! He was a jolly old fellow, with a few extra pounds, but that didn’t stop him, from making his rounds. He saw babies in boxes, with tubes and with wires, preemies and term infants, and their parent’s desires- To hold and to rock, to kiss and kangaroo, They had Christmas wishes, but only these few. Snuggling the little one, he wrapped him so tight, he handed the baby, to his Mum with delight. A smile arose from her mouth, with great joy, for this was the moment, she dreamed to have, with her boy. Visiting each baby, and their concerned parents too, He knew right there and then, there was something special about the NICU. Placing his hands, on each little head, kissing their foreheads, he winked, and he said- “Tiny babies so strong, with determination and might, so this is where you come, to live and to fight.” “To breathe and to grow, and to learn how to eat, what a difficult journey, but such an amazing feat.” He had a sparkle in his eye, and a hop in his step, as he approached the isolettes, and whispered secrets he’d kept...Continued in comments...💕
  • Believe it or not, my baby boy is with me in this photo. ‘Kangaroo care’ is a type of skin to skin contact that parents are encouraged to have with their premature babies. The babies are placed on the parents chest under a loose fitting top, and snuggled in with blankets. Its the closest thing to being back in the womb for premature babies, as they can feel their parents heart beat, hear their parents voice and smell their parents scent. In the past 5 weeks my world has gone from airports, press trips and pitches to a one mile radius around a hospital, in a city I don’t live in. I have been living in hospital accommodation in Sheffield since Theo was born as there was no space for him to be treated in Leeds. I have entered a new world that, at first, was totally alien and incredibly overwhelming (it still is to be honest). I have difficult conversations with doctors, surgeons and consultants every day and I am learning an entirely new medical language. My days at the moment are mentally, physically and emotionally draining, but the best part of my day is when I get to hold my baby for an hour, sometimes two. I sit in a chair next to his incubator. We’re still in a room surrounded by nurses and beeping machines, but when I close my eyes I imagine we are back home together, like we will be one day in the future. Scott took this photo of me when I fell asleep with Theo during kangaroo care, and to me it speaks a thousand words. Theo, my sweet baby boy, I hope that one day my mind will be blown that you were ever this tiny. From tiny acorns, mighty oak trees grow #prematurityis ❤️🌳
  • Welcome to the world Theodore William Hamilton 👶🏼💫 As today is his ‘1 month’ birthday, I thought it would be a good day to finally share his arrival with the world. On the 30th October at 7.18am I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy, Theo. Theo’s extremely early arrival came as a complete shock. Since then life has been a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges. What I have been through this past month goes against every convention of motherhood and maternal instinct you can think of. It has been the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life, but I am taking things one day at a time and trying to find the positives in everything. Theo is a determined little fighter and is making some really positive steps forward and we are staying strong for him. We won’t be able to bring him home until around his due date in February, and until then he is receiving the very best Neonatal care in hospital. He is the most perfect and precious thing I have ever seen in my life and Scott and I are completely in love. This is why I’ve been so quiet, and why I’m taking some time away from social media. I’m sharing a little more about Theo’s journey so far in my latest post. Link in bio ✨💙
  • Is anyone else getting excited about Black Friday tomorrow? Maybe it’s the Northerner in me, but I bloody love a bargain! It’s great for discounted Christmas shopping, but you can also get some incredible travel deals online as well. Be sure to visit the Expedia website (link in bio) to grab your discount coupon code, and also download the Expedia app to redeem hotel discount, plus amazing deals on flights and packages. Black Friday is the perfect excuse to start planning your 2019 travels. Comment with 3 of your dream travel destinations for 2019. Mine are Iceland, Mexico and Japan! 🇮🇸 🇲🇽 🇯🇵 Paid partnership with @expediaUK #BlackFriday #Expedia
  • The sand-coloured backstreets of Dubrovnik feel like a distant memory now ✨ I’ve taken a bit of an unplanned break from Instagram in the past few weeks as I’ve been thrown a major curveball in life, which I’m currently dealing with. But I’m doing OK and am going to update you guys properly soon. I didn’t realise I’d be missed until so many of you started to message me to see if I was alright! So just know I’m doing fine and will share a bit more with you in due course ❤️
  • Golden hour was my favourite time of day at the Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel... those reflections 😱 You’d never think this scene was in the heart of Orlando, right? Head to the blog to read my review of this Universal Studios hotel ✨🇺🇸

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