MUMS who are parted from their babies after giving birth are now able to see their newborns using Facetime, thanks to a new initiative at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre on the site of Burnley General Teaching Hospital has invested in two iPads using money donated to the unit.

These are used by mums who are unable to go and spend time with their baby after giving birth if they are too unwell.

A patient champion hailed the initiative as ‘forward thinking’.

NICU Matron Caroline Cowman said: “After giving birth, some women can be poorly and need close monitoring and not be well enough to go and see their baby.

“This can be for reasons such as if the mother has had a Caesarean Section and is immobile or if she has suffered a haemorrhage or has pre-eclampsia.

“When this happens, it must be horrendous for these women. It is meant to be a wonderful and special time in their life but they cannot be with their baby.

“Some mums also feel that other family members are seeing their baby before they are as they are too poorly to move. This can be very difficult for them.

“But now we have these iPads, it means we can use Facetime so a nurse can hold the baby up and show the mum her newborn.

“Mums will be able to Facetime their baby to have regular interaction with them and this means they won’t feel excluded.

“When their baby is not there, it doesn’t seem real but actually seeing their baby through Facetime will feel more nurturing and improve bonding.

“It is so important that mums are able to have that interaction.

“Seeing their baby will also help if they are expressing breast milk for them.

“We bought the iPads out of charity money donated to the unit.

“We are trying to give back to patients what they gave to us.”

Russ McLean, East Lancashire’s Patient Voice, welcomed the initiative.

He said: “I’d support it as it keeps patients in touch with relatives, so I think it’s a brilliant idea.

“So hats off to the trust for bringing this in and I think we’re going to see more investment in technology to assist patients in keeping in touch with their relatives in the coming years.”

As well as the iPads, the unit has also developed ‘Welcome to NICU’ information packs to help parents who spend time on the unit after having a poorly or premature baby.

Matron Cowman said: “We are constantly looking at ways we can improve parent information, interaction and involvement.

“The role of parents on a neonatal unit is invaluable and it is important we keep communicating with them when they embark on this journey they were not expecting.”