Family take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks to give thanks to Jessop’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Katie was admitted to hospital after falling ill during her pregnancy and had to have an emergency C-section when baby Archie was delivered.
“I became really unwell; I had preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome and once Archie was born, he was premature at 33 weeks, so he had to be taken to intensive care. It was all so unexpected.”
Pre-eclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy or soon after their baby is delivered. HELLP syndrome is a rare liver and blood clotting disorder that can affect pregnant women. The only way to treat the condition is to deliver the baby as soon as possible.
“If the staff hadn’t made the decision to deliver him when they did, ultimately it could have been very, very different. A matter of days or even hours, we could’ve lost either or both of us.”
This was only the start of a difficult and emotional journey for them as a family, with Katie and Archie both having to stay in hospital and work on their recoveries.
“You hear other people’s stories, and you feel like you should be with your baby, taking care of them once you’ve brought them into the world. In my head, I felt like I was never going to bond with him because I wasn’t with him and couldn’t help him.
I felt like I’d failed. I couldn’t hold him, I can’t take him home or take him for a walk, I couldn’t even dress him. I couldn’t do anything with him. Everything you planned or wanted to do with your baby was totally stripped away from you.
The staff just did everything they could to help. We were provided a journal and updates on him, handprints and footprints, and they even managed to wheel my bed down next to him so I could still see him. They were the voice of reason, supporting us throughout.
The bonding hearts that were provided through Crafting for Good, I’ve still got ours. He always had one in his incubator, and I had one in my hospital bed, and every day we’d go down to the unit and swap them over. It meant he could smell me even though I couldn’t be with him and that was our way of bonding. We did that the whole time we were separated, and he ended up sleeping with it for ages afterwards because I think it brought him comfort. It was a massive part of when he was born and for a while it was the only way I could bond with him, through this piece of fabric.”
Despite all their difficulties, Katie and her husband George were grateful to everyone who supported them and knew someday they wanted to give back.
“It was the hardest time of my entire life, being separate from my baby. I’m a nurse so even though a lot of it was familiar, it was terrifying because I was now on the other side, and it was happening to me. The staff were just amazing though. At no point did I feel like he wasn’t safe or cared for. That was massive for us as a family, knowing he was where he needed to be, George could look after Archie with the support that he needed, and I could get better and make sure we’d all come back together.
Regardless of the birth being over, even over the last year, I can still rely on them massively for reassurance over any concerns I have.
I remember a particularly difficult day, being in the Unit and seeing a Sheffield Hospitals Charity sign and thinking “at some point when life feels a bit better and more positive, we’ll do something to make sure we give back.”
The walk was originally going to be Katie and George, but has since escalated to include even more family members, all wanting to say thank you to the staff at Jessop.
“Everyone is wanting to get involved in some way to support us and say thank you which is just lovely.
After having him and being so poorly, I lost all my muscle and strength, and it took me a long time to build it up. I needed a goal, so we said let’s aim for that and do it together. I feel like any time I’ve struggled or felt tired, I think of Archie and the reason I’m doing it. I knew I wanted to do it for a reason, and there’s no better reason than to say thank you for how amazing Archie was cared for.”
With training and fundraising efforts well underway, Katie has been sharing her hopes and goals for the future through this challenge.
“We’ve reached our target but now I’ve hit that, I want to double it! We want to raise as much money and awareness as we can to say thank you.
Being on the other side and realising how much of a difference these funds make, it is massive. The difference it can make to families who are thrown in to situations that they haven’t prepared for or don’t want. Honestly, to have somewhere to sit and have a cup of tea and 5 minutes with your husband, or whoever has come to visit you. The fact you can do that in the hospital seems like a small thing but to have some time with my loved ones, away from the clinical areas was huge. It was just little things that made it feel like a bit of home.
When you’re in that situation and you’re receiving things like blankets, the hearts, refreshments, you don’t know who has provided or funded those things and you just feel relieved you’re getting it. It has been nice to know that it came from the charity and we’re able to hopefully give something back to the team that are still helping us as a family now. I’d tell anyone to fundraise because the smallest amount of money can change the biggest of things. Things that people don’t think about until you’re facing it yourself.
It has been a really hard year, with so many uncertainties, but none of it would’ve been possible without the Jessop staff making that decision and delivering him when they did.”
You can donate to Katie’s fundraising page here, or visit the Sheffield Hospitals Charity website to start your own fundraising journey.
Check out our page celebrating Sheffield’s mums and those who care for them
Published: Friday 28th of March 2025