Widnes Vikings held a special sports and social event for fathers who access NeoMates, a peer support group for parents whose babies have been cared for in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Star players from the Super League Rugby Club gave them a day to remember, thanks to the club's partnership with the Improving Me vanguard.
Neomates
The Neomates group was started by neonatal staff from Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital, who care for fragile babies that have been born prematurely or sick. They care for around 350 babies every year from the Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales and further afield, and have helped babies born as early as 23 weeks into pregnancy to survive.
NeoMates was set up to support the parents of those babies and help them to be physically and mentally strong by giving them a chance to share their experiences, find advice and make friends with people who understand what they are going through. What started as a local coffee morning every Wednesday has since expanded to include national Facebook and Twitter groups with members from all over the country. In addition to supporting each other, the parents often get involved in consultations, training and fundraising initiatives for the unit helping to improve neonatal care for other families who may need it in the future.
A Brilliant Day
Dads, Mike Johnston-Pratt and Mark Watson, together with Neonatal Consultant, Dr Oliver Rackham and Dave Sweeney, Deputy Chief Operating Officer NHS Halton CCG, were the first participants to enjoy a morning of exercise in Widnes Vikings’ club gym, where they were joined by first team players Ted and Jay Chapelhow. The pair gave guests exclusive insight into their training regimes and preparations for the 2017 season. The informal event also gave the dads chance to catch up with each other while taking a rare break from their parenting duties.
The visit was part of a partnership between Widnes Vikings and the “Improving Me” Women’s and Children's Vanguard, a pioneering alliance between 27 NHS organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside. The Vanguard has the aim of improving maternity, gynaecology, paediatric and neonatal services across the area, through promoting greater collaboration and sharing of best practice.
Dr Oliver Rackham, who established the NeoMates support group, said: “The time that families spend within the neonatal intensive care unit can be a difficult one; the weeks and months afterwards even more so, as parents adjust to life with a new baby. We developed NeoMates to support parents when they are often at their most vulnerable and this was the first of many opportunities we are planning for dads to have a bit of time out together. I am inspired and humbled by our NeoMates parents every day. I’d like to say a big thank you to the Vikings for being such great hosts and making us feel so welcome!”
Mike Johnston-Pratt, from Wirral, joined NeoMates after his baby was born prematurely. He said: “Having such a poorly baby can be very isolating for parents and even after leaving hospital, there are still many worries and challenges to face. Being part of NeoMates has been a huge support for our family and I’ve really appreciated having some time out behind the scenes with the Vikings. I can thoroughly recommend it to the other NeoMates dads and look forward to taking part in more events like this in the future.”