New Stars Appeal cots bring comfort to mums and babies at Salisbury Hospital

Babies born at Salisbury District Hospital are sleeping even more comfortably thanks to the arrival of 20 specialist cots funded by generous donations to the Stars Appeal.

The new cots, which cost a total of £38,000, are helping the 2,200 babies born at the Hospital each year as well as making things easier for their mums. They are height adjustable and have drop-down panels, so mums are able to sleep right by their baby’s side in comfort.

First-time mum Lizzie Johnson and her baby Noah have benefitted from the new cots. She said: “The cots are brilliant as they turn into a ‘next to you’ crib. This was fantastic, especially when I was finding it painful to bend, and I couldn’t lift Noah out of the cot. It meant I could sleep by his side and keep him settled through the night.”

Mum Charlotte Harryman also praised the specialist cots for making her time in hospital with her baby Matilda a more comfortable experience. She added: “It was lovely to be closer to Matilda and not have to stare at her through a plastic screen. It also felt safer to co-sleep with her and getting her in and out of the cot was so much easier. The cot made it more comfortable to be with my baby. Matilda loved being in the new cot.”

Baby Matilda in a cot. Picture by Spencer Mulholland

Maternity Matron Becky Roberts added: “We want to thank the wonderful Stars Appeal supporters for their generosity, which is providing babies and their families with the best equipment possible for their care and comfort. These new cots give mums the chance to sleep side-by-side with their babies, which enables greater bonding in the first few hours and days of life. They can feel closer to their babies even when they are unable to get out of bed. We look forward to seeing even more babies who are born in Salisbury resting well in enhanced comfort.”

Many of the cots were funded by individual donors, who gave £1,900, and were given the opportunity to have their cot named in recognition of their support.

Jan Sanders and her family were one of the generous donors who funded a cot. It was a cause close to their hearts, as Jan explains: “It means such a lot to me and us as a family to fund one of these cots. We have a very close connection to the Maternity Unit. I had my two sons at Salisbury Hospital, my granddaughter, who was born premature at 26 weeks, was cared for on the Neonatal Unit, and I trained and worked as a midwife here. The cots are super, lots of mums are going to benefit and their babies will be so much more comfortable.”

Jan, who was a midwife on the Hospital’s Maternity Unit for 30 years, recently visited the Postnatal Ward with her husband, Bill, to see the cot named after her family in recognition of their support.

To find out more about the Stars Appeal, Salisbury Hospital’s Charity, go to www.starsappeal.org