Little Sophia returns to neo-natal unit to donate her birthday gifts on World Prematurity Day
Sophia Brown was born prematurely at 34 weeks on 4th October 2023 and spent ten days in the specialist care of the Neonatal Unit at the Ulster Hospital.
Now celebrating her third birthday, Sophia has grown into a mighty oak! – reflecting this year’s World Prematurity Day theme, ‘From Little Acorns, Mighty Oaks Grow’.
To mark her special day and World Prematurity Day, Sophia and her family returned to the Unit, bringing with them a wonderful collection of donated gifts, after generously asking friends and family to support the Unit’s Amazon wish-list instead of buying birthday presents.
This kind gesture resulted in a wonderful collection of gifts including children’s books, snacks and drinks for families and staff. These donations will help provide additional comforts for parents and families spending precious time with their babies in the Unit.
(Photos: South eastern HSC Trust)
Their generosity was joined by further kind contributions from Tesco Northern Ireland, who donated confectionery for the Unit and Shnuggle, who provided a range of baby products.
World Prematurity Day will also be marked with a series of activities bringing families and neonatal staff together.
Purple ribbons will be tied to the Unit’s Tree of Love and Hope, situated outside the Ulster Hospital maternity building, with each ribbon representing love, hope and remembrance for babies and their families.
Inside the Unit, the illuminated Tree of Hope will display heartfelt messages of encouragement and support, written by families and staff for others navigating their own neonatal journey. The maternity building will also be illuminated in purple throughout the week as a visible symbol of solidarity with babies born prematurely and their families.
Sophia’s mum Jess Smyth-Rice explained why they wanted to mark her daughter’s birthday by donating to the unit.
She said: “We just wanted to give something back to the Unit. The staff were absolutely amazing in helping us through what was a very special but challenging time. We wanted to provide some little comforts for other parents so they would not have to leave the Unit.
“When we were with Sophia, all we wanted to do was stay with her. We did not really want to have to go home to get snacks and then come back to the hospital. We thought it would be lovely if other parents could have those little things available to them too.
“We contacted the Unit to ask how we could make a donation and decided that, instead of receiving presents for Sophia’s third birthday, we would ask everyone to contribute towards the Unit’s Amazon wish-list.
“Our friends and family were so generous. They were letting us know what they had bought and we honestly did not realise there would be so much. It was really heartwarming to see everyone coming together and wanting to give something back. We really did not expect such a wonderful response and it was very special.”
World Prematurity Day is an opportunity to recognise the remarkable strength of babies born too soon, celebrate their families and the milestones they achieve along the way and remember those precious babies who are no longer with us.
South Eastern Trust Neonatal Infant Feeding Lead, Cathy Flinn, thanked Sophia and her family, along with everyone who contributed to the donations and to Tesco Northern Ireland and Shnuggle, explaining how the gifts will help make a difference to families.
She said: “Throughout the year, we love to celebrate the milestones that parents look forward to sharing with their babies. It is no different for the families in our Neonatal Unit.
“We celebrate birthdays, Easter, Christmas and World Prematurity Day because these moments are so important for families.
“The donations will help us create those special celebrations and little parties for babies and their parents. The books will also support our memory-making work, with families receiving a book when their baby arrives in the Unit which they can keep as a reminder of their journey.
“We also celebrate special milestones, such as a baby reaching 100 days old, and the lovely gifts donated will help us mark these occasions. The snacks and treats will be particularly appreciated by parents who spend so much time here with their babies.
“Having those little comforts available can make a real difference to their experience.
“I would like to thank Michael, Jess, Sophia and Cody, along with Tesco Northern Ireland and Schnuggle, for their incredibly kind donations. These gifts will make a real difference to families during their stay with us.”
(1) Jess, Cody, Michael and Sophia pictured with all the donations along with Cathy Flinn (Neonatal Infant Feeding Lead)
(2) Jess and Sophia reading through one of the books that was kindly donated
(3) Cathy Flinn (Neonatal Infant Feeding Lead) & Lorraine Shaw (Advanced Occupational Therapist, Neonatal Unit) with the illuminated Tree of Hope
(4) Nadine Kirk (Enhanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner) and Heidi Hopkins (Neonatal Sister) with the Tesco NI and Shnuggle donations
(5) The Ulster Hospital Maternity Unit illuminated purple to mark World Prematurity Day
(6) Sophia when she was in the Ulster Hospital Neonatal Unit
