Dai Flanagan was a special guest as Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) officially opened two houses to provide accommodation for families with babies receiving treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Grange University Hospital.
The Head Coach of Dragons RFC was in Llanfrechfa on Tuesday morning (March 22) to take a tour of the houses that have been refurbished by ABUHB and meet some of the parents.
Currently around 10% of babies born in the UK are premature or need some support from NICU wards across the country - in the ABUHB area that equate to around 500 babies a year.
This is an incredibly stressful time for parents often travelling between home and the hospital, wanting to be near to their baby but often with other children back home. These houses provide a home from home.
Sue Papworth, Consultant Neonatologist, spoke at the event: “It allows the families to take a breather, come off the unit and spend some time where it feels more like being at home. Sit in the garden, have a family meal, watch tv, but still be within a few minutes’ walk of your baby.
“It’s also really important for babies to receive their own mum’s milk and this environment makes it easier for parents to feel comfortable expressing and provide a relaxing environment to encourage that milk production in an otherwise very stressful time.”
Dragons RFC are big supporters of Dinky Dragon’s - a support group set up for NICU parents at the Grange University Hospital – and Dai was thrilled to lend his support to the official opening.
He said: “I’ve been really impressed by the facility, first and foremost, and love the idea and the logic behind the house, which is here to help the families.
“As a club this is important to us. We’ve got a lot of players expecting children soon and with an age bracket of our players between 18 and 33 it is great to know this facility is here in our region.
“It's fantastic to see first-hand the support it gives to families. I was chatting to a young parent that has been staying here while her son is in the unit and this facility means that she can be close to the important people in her life and limit the time and money travelling back and forth.”
I’ve been really impressed by the facility, first and foremost, and love the idea and the logic behind the house, which is here to help the families...
