New sets of twins born in Croydon now benefit from two new twin cots, thanks to generous donations of NHS supporters and the work of the Croydon Health Charity.
Close comforts: new-born twins can stay together during their early days in Croydon University Hospital, thanks to donations for new twin cots
The purchase of the cots was possible only thanks to a generous £3,885 donation from the Morrison’s Foundation, secured by Croydon Health Charity, and the ongoing support from Ickle Pickles, a charity who support the UK’s smallest and sickest babies who need intensive care in neonatal units.
Christina Clynes is the Croydon Health Charity’s director of communications, who herself gave birth to twins at Croydon University Hospital in February 2023. Her twins were separated for the first time when they needed to be admitted to the hospital’s neonatal unit for additional support.
“Trying to care for two new babies, in two separate spaces, can be incredibly challenging as you have to move from bed to another,” Clynes said.
“As a new parent of multiples, I know how important it is to keep little ones together whenever possible. Thankfully, 18 months later – and thanks to the fantastic care we received – they are both thriving!
“We are incredibly grateful to our Croydon Health Charity donors for their generosity and to Ickle Pickles for their continued support.”
The larger twin cots enable twins to be nursed together in the same cot.
Located with the postnatal wards and neonatal unit at Croydon University Hospital, these cots will make a significant difference for families welcoming multiples into the world and have been shown to help babies, stabilising their heart rates, allowing them to better regulate their body temperatures and meaning they stay close together, as they had been in the womb.
The two cots are part of a wider programme of improvements funded by Croydon Health Charity and Ickle Pickles, who have jointly raised almost £17,000 enhancing the care provided to some of the borough’s littlest patients.
Caroline Nyawira, the head of maternity and neonatal transformation at Croydon’s largest hospital, said, “These new twin cots and enhanced facilities have already made such a big difference in the care we provide.
“We care for more than 50 sets of twins every year, and we know that having them side by side makes it easier for patients to care for their new arrivals in the first few days, as well as offering additional health benefits.
“Most importantly, our priority is always to keep families together, and with the support of Croydon Health Charity and our donors, we are now better equipped to do just that.”
Croydon Health Charity provides practical and emotional support for staff and patients of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, funding projects above and beyond statutory provision. For more information about the charity and its work, click here
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