‘Without their care, our babies wouldn’t be here’

A specialist service that has helped hundreds of babies at risk of being born early arrive safely into the world is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

The pre-term birth clinic at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford was formed to improve outcomes for babies at risk of being born early. It was initially set up at QEQM by lead consultant Miss Aylur Rajasri (Raji) amidst the challenges of the Covid pandemic in March 2020.

Since then, more than 1,300 babies have been born – often to parents who have previously experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby born too early to survive. The dedicated team, including fetal wellbeing midwives help monitor these high-risk pregnancies and help their babies arrive safely. Some need emergency sutures to prevent imminent delivery.

Some of the parents returned to QEQM to celebrate the anniversary and say a personal thank you to Miss Rajasri, pre-term lead midwife Jess Toohey, fetal wellbeing midwife Poppy Corral, and midwife Layla Bouzamita.

Emma Rous, 28, bought baby Bonnie, who is now five months old and was born at 36 weeks – four weeks early. She had previously lost baby Oliver when he was born at 23 weeks, and needed a special stitch to keep her cervix closed and reduce the risk of premature birth.

She said: “After Bonnie was born, we felt so relieved and realised just how stressful it had been.

“The team were absolutely incredible – without their care Bonnie wouldn’t be here. Dr Raji is a real expert in the field but she is also fantastic at making sure we felt emotionally supported too.

“She would always ask about Ben, our oldest son, and I felt very safe and cared for.”

Katherine Watts, 39, gave birth to baby Harper at 39 weeks after continuous monitoring and treatment from the team, following previous surgery to her cervix.

She said: “At my first appointment I hadn’t realised how serious it was until Dr Raji said she could be born any time.

“I had to be signed off work from 22 weeks, and I had to cancel a holiday we had planned, so we could try and keep her safe.

“It was quite scary but we were really lucky. I cried when she was born, and it was lovely to be able to bring her back to meet the team today.”

Abbie Freer, 30, has had eight pregnancies, and two tragically ended in loss after her babies were born very prematurely. Baby Arka was born at 28 weeks and spent eight weeks in hospital.

She said: “The team were amazing and did everything they could to give him a chance. I really felt listened to and his pregnancy was the longest I had managed, apart from my oldest child.

“My main issue was infections so I was given antibiotics all the way through and they looked after us so well.

“In previous pregnancies I have felt so anxious, but this time I felt listened to and reassured. I just wish this clinic had existed for my other children.”

Peace Ejigboye, 29, lost two babies before welcoming 10-month-old Janelle. She had a cervical stitch early in her pregnancy to reduce the risk of premature birth.

She said: “We were so anxious but we had all the encouragement we needed that she was going to be fine.

“She was born at 29 weeks and six days and weighed just 970g (2.1lbs) but she cried when she was born and only needed support with her breathing for three days.

“She was in the William Harvey Hospital for six weeks before she could be transferred to QEQM but our main issue was her weight as she was so tiny.

“The support from the team was fantastic and I would feel confident to have another pregnancy knowing they would look after me.”

People who have had previous premature births, or who have other risk factors including surgery to their cervix, or previous miscarriages, can be referred to the clinic by their midwife and will be seen until they reach their third trimester. Complex cases are discussed with colleagues in London for their advice and input.

Babies born before 28 weeks of pregnancy have a much higher risk of ongoing health issues, and the chances of survival increase the later a baby is delivered.

Miss Rajasri said: “It is always a joy to see these babies thriving after what is often a very anxious time for their parents.

“We consider them all our babies and our family is growing year on year. It is a real privilege to be able to care for them and give them the best chance of survival.

“We have learned a lot over the past five years and we are always looking for ways to improve and to provide the best treatment options to our families.”

The preterm birth rate at East Kent Hospitals was 7.6 per 1,000 when the clinic started, and has now more than halved to 3.05 per 1,000.

Miss Rajasri said: “This demonstrates the amount of work that has gone in and I am grateful to my team of midwives, healthcare assistants, admin and reception staff, whose dedicated support allows the service to run effectively, provide holistic care and reassurance to women at the most worrying time in their life.

“It is exciting to be in a position to adopt newer technologies and interventions to detect, predict and prevent early birth.

“We are literally able to save babies’ lives and there is nothing more important than that.”

Jessica Toohey, the lead preterm midwife who is now also a fully qualified midwifery sonographer able to scan high-risk pregnancies, added: “This is the best day of the year to welcome our families and babies. We have now embedded research in our routine clinical care which has enhanced the quality of care further.”

The team have recently received certificates of celebration from NHS England’s regional team to recognise their commitment in reducing preterm birth and optimising the care, helping more babies survive.