Library on neonatal unit aims to boost family bond

Parents of premature and poorly babies have been reading to their newborns in hospital as part of a project to strengthen family bonds and boost development.

The special care baby unit (SCBU) at Harrogate Hospital cares for babies who are born at 32 weeks or later, or who require extra support.

A library has now been installed at the unit to help families read together while their babies are being looked after in hospital.

Lucinda Kernaghan-Coe, whose son was born seven weeks early, said "being able to just hold him and read a book" had made her feel "just a little bit more in control".

"It sounds really silly but although you know you can bond with your child and pick them up and be a parent, it still feels that little bit artificial when you are on the unit," she said.

"Doing normal stuff that you'd do at home, you just feel a little bit more in control and it's nice to have that bonding time."

She said she had been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Guess How Much I Love You to her son, who was "doing really well".

"They just want his weight up and then he can come home hopefully," she added.

The hospital said the benefits of reading included helping with the baby's development and strengthening the emotional connection between parents and their newborns.

Amy Howard, neonatal educator and governance lead at the unit, said: "We know from research that the parents' voices are a really reassuring sound to babies.

"It's also really important for that baby's brain development.

"If we can reduce that baby's stress by a parent talking to them, and by them reading a book, that's going to help that baby's brain grow."

She added that the reaction from families had been really positive because it empowered parents and carers to "do something really powerful for their baby".

The library includes classic children's books such as Each Peach Pear Plum, as well as a selection of bilingual books.

Hilary O'Callaghan, knowledge and library service manager at Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust, said it did not matter what parents and carers were reading to their babies, as long as they were speaking to them.

"It can be as simple as reading the football results or whatever you're interested in, the most important thing is hearing the voice," she said.

"The library really acts as that prompt to remind parents that reading to their baby is just as much a part of the care of their baby while they're in the unit."

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