A hospital charity is hoping to raise around £100,000 to add the extra touches to a new maternity unit.
The state-of-the-art facility at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s new BEACH building is due to open this spring.
As part of its BEACH Appeal, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity is looking to raise funds to pay for blanket warmers, mood lighting, birthing slings and what it describes as meaningful
items to comfort parents spending extra time while their baby is cared for in the new neonatal centre.
The charity says the aim is to transform the new unit “into a sanctuary where families can welcome their newborn babies in a warm environment that goes above and beyond standard NHS provision.”
It adds: “Imagine eagerly awaiting a new arrival in comfortable and enriching spaces; a warmed blanket wrapped around a baby taking their first breaths and soft ambient lighting surrounding parents and newborns experiencing those crucial bonding moments together.
“But this vision where every baby gets the most comfortable start in life needs a community to back it.”
The charity is also raising funds to create two specialist bereavement suites to provide comfort and support for families who have experienced the heartbreaking loss of their baby.