Sageston family's tribute to SCBU (From Western Telegraph)
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Sageston family's tribute to SCBU
11:50am Saturday 27th October 2012 in News
A Sageston family would be facing an exhausting journey every day if it wasn’t for the SCBU at Withybush Hospital.
Arabella and Jimi Thomas are currently back and forth to the unit every day as their son Santiago, born at 30 weeks and one day, weighing 3lbs 10oz on September 12th, continues to get stronger and stronger.
The unit also supported the family following the birth of Alba, now 20 months, who was two weeks late and suffered head trauma during a difficult birth but fully recovered.
“We have had two difficult births, but at totally different ends of the spectrum - both were traumatic and both ended up on this unit,” said Jimi.
“We were frightened that we wouldn’t get here in time and we only just made it, but because of what happened to Bella if the unit was in Carmarthen he would have been moved and she’d still be here.
"There can’t be anything more traumatic than something happening to your children,” he added.
Arabella, who had to have an emergency Caesarean, said that the SCBU staff were brilliant and were extremely accommodating of Alba and other family members visiting little Santiago, whose weight dropped to 3lbs 1oz but has now increased to 4lbs 11oz.
She added: “Things could have turned out a lot differently if they said you have to go off to Carmarthen or Swansea. There’s no way we can thank them enough.
How they can say you can plan any delivery? You can’t.”
The family plan to fundraise for the unit next year and are hoping to be home with Santiago, who spent three weeks in an incubator, in the next few weeks.
Jimi added: “We are not the only people with a premature baby with other children and it is difficult.
If the unit were further away we wouldn’t be able to see him every day. But the fact it’s here has made things a lot more bearable.
“It [the consultation plans] just seems to be taking it all back, it’s going further and further away – it’s going backwards.
