Meet the mum who's raising money for neonatal hospital equipment

  • WATCH: ITV Meridian's Grace Williams went to meet the mum who's raising money for neonatal hospital equipment.

A mother from Waterlooville, who had two babies prematurely, says there needs to be more awareness around the cost of neonatal hospital equipment.

Lorraine Blackburn began fundraising for the Ickle Pickles charity after her son Owen, who was born weighing just over 1lb 10oz, passed away. 

The charity helps to provide vital equipment, for babies in hospitals across the country, including in Southampton and Portsmouth.

Eight years and three rounds of IVF later, Lorraine welcomed daughter Luna, who also spent time in the NICU.

Lorraine said: "I didn’t really know anything about neonatal units if I’m honest. No one really talks about it. I think we’re all guilty of thinking that we’re just going to sail through our pregnancies and that everything is going to be fine. 

Owen was born weighing just over 1lb 10oz. Credit: ITV Meridian

There are over 90,000 babies born sick or prematurely in the UK every year.

One incubator, which costs £27,000, lasts an average of seven years. A ventilator, which has a lifespan of around five years, costs £25,000.

Lorraine added: "It’s just a crazy amount of money. It costs around £2,000 a day to care for a baby. 

"I think it’s a very big misconception that the NHS is a bottomless pit with never ending funds and sadly that’s not the case. We hopefully step in to bridge that gap so we can help fund the equipment that they can’t afford, basically.

"We would never want to see a baby transferred out of an area or a hospital just because they don’t have the correct equipment."

More than 90,000 babies are born sick or prematurely in the UK every year. Credit: ITV Meridian

Katy Evans' child, Ace, was also born premature. Lorraine met Ace in the neonatal unit whilst Katy was recovering, when she was visiting Owen.

Katy said: "I cannot imagine my life without Ace, so to know that this fundraising is helping other people have that bond with their children, it blows my mind every day, it really does.

"Unless you’ve had a premature baby, you don’t think about premature babies.

"If you do some research into how many premature babies are born every year and how much it costs to keep them alive, you will understand that any small change that you’ve got and you can donate, will make so much difference to keeping these babies alive."

Vicky Cleaver's son, Archie, was overdue and born stillborn. He was resuscitated after 11 minutes and was left with severe brain damage.

As a first time mum, Vicky met her support network through an Ickle Pickles coffee morning shortly after Archie's birth.

The three mothers have been friends ever since.

Lorraine has helped to raise more than £500,000 for Ickle Pickles since Owen's death. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Vicky said: "For me, Ickle Pickles was the charity that helped me meet some friends and gain my feet as a parent. But now, I look back and think that’s not all that they did.

"They also provided all of this fantastic equipment which without that, then Archie would have potentially been moved to a unit somewhere else in the country and I wouldn’t have had that support system."

In the 15 years since Owen’s death, Lorraine now works for the charity and has helped to raise more than £500,000.

Sponsored walks, charity balls and abseiling down Spinnaker Tower are just some of the many events. 

Later this month, fellow fundraisers will be pushing an incubator around Mountbatten Centre Athletics Track in Portsmouth. 

Lorraine's message is that a little support can make a big difference to these tiny babies. 

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