Help baby B and his family

This is a fundraiser for a baby and his mother (who wishes to remain anonymous) that I learnt about through Ken Smollens excellent charity that supports people in need of help with food in the midlands.

She had a baby prematurely at 27 weeks by c-section. Her baby is in hospital an hour away from her in Dublin. She gets a train to go see him most days. Can you imagine the heartbreak of walking out of hospital without your baby every day?

Her three older children have not been in school for 3 weeks because she can't afford their school buses - €80 a week - after paying transport to go see her baby. (There were no places available in the local schools so they need to go further away)

She is currently in another hospital an hour away from her baby because part of the placenta was left behind and she may need another operation to remove it... The Dublin hospital will not treat her because she is vitamin B deficient and they do not administer this treatment? They can do the surgery to remove the placenta left behind but cannot treat a vitamin deficiency? Surely they should be doing everything in their power to keep mother and baby together - now and when she is discharged as a patient herself?

She is also deficient in iron as well as B12 - no doubt because she has not been eating well as she is buying food for her family and doesn't have enough for herself. She needs rest and nourishing food in order to make milk for her baby. She is also still recovering from a C-section. This is a message she posted to the charity above and shared with me:

"Hiya Ken, one of your team, dropped a parcel to my door over the past few days. I'd like to thank you and your team for your help and support. I've just given birth to a very premmie baby in hospital in Dublin. As you can imagine the cost of travel alone is very expensive and only for you and your team we would have gone a few days with no food this week as most of my money now goes on travel. I hope that in the near future, when I am back on my feet, I will be able to repay you all in some way. Seeing the smiles on my kids faces made my day. "

Her baby is now 5 weeks (would be 32 weeks of pregnancy) doing well but he is in NICU and can't be transferred to a hospital near her until he is over 3 pounds. He needs her to be well so she can be with him and bring him home as soon as possible. She needs money to be able to cover transport to Dublin for 5 - 6 weeks and buy food for her and her family and to cover any medical expenses in baby's early days.

Newborn babies are so completely dependant on their parents and this baby isn't even due to be born for weeks yet. He is obviously a little fighter but every babies number one instinct is to be with their mother. It is cruel to both of them not to facilitate this as much as possible. No hospital - no matter how well they look after a baby is any substitute for being in their loving mothers and fathers arms.

Any amount you can donate will be hugely appreciated.

(Any extra funds not needed by the family will be donated to Ken Smollens registered charity to help make deliveries of food to other families in need of help.)