STAFF, volunteers and parents celebrated World Prematurity Day at Southmead Hospital.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the hospital was among the first units in the country when it was opened in 1946 by Dr Beryl Corner and has been providing care for premature babies ever since.

To mark World Prematurity Day on Monday, November 17, staff and volunteers put together a collage of babies cared for on the unit with photos showing how they are doing months, years and even decades on.

Among the people featured in the college is Elaine Hood who was born at 26 weeks back in 1962 and was cared for in the NICU – now she works as one of the housekeepers on the unit.

She weighed just 1lb 14 oz when she was born 52 years ago.

Since starting work on the NICU Elaine’s own grandsons have also benefited from care on the unit having also been born early.

She said: “I think it is amazing really, I heard stories growing up about how tiny I was, I didn’t expect to work here and to have my grandsons come here as well. They are absolutely fantastic here.

“It’s a lovely place to work and lovely when the little ones come back in.

“I think it’s very important for mums and dads to know how well babies do when they leave the unit and that there are people here willing to help them.”

The NICU at Southmead cares for about 700 babies a year, although not all of them need the support of the unit because they have been born prematurely. About 130-150 of the babies on the unit are born at less than 28 weeks.

Lisa Ramsey lead developmental care nurse at the NICU said that she has seen a lot of changes in her 18 years on the unit.

“We have got better delivery room processes now, babies are put in plastic bags to keep them warm, and there are better transfer procedures to bring them to NICU,” she said.

“There is better equipment now, the incubators are all better and the ventilators, and we know a lot more about ventilating babies now.

“We are also better at handling babies and thinking about what stresses babies.”

As well as putting together a collage staff and volunteers baked cakes for a coffee morning on the unit as part of World Prematurity Day.