Having a premature baby turned our world upside down. It altered everything, all my expectations of parenthood, it made me question everything I held close, and I learnt for the first time what true fear is.
Bliss were a lifeline for me in that time. The fact there was a charitable organsiation set up to help parents like me gave me enormous comfort. The message board was a lifeline at times, and an added bonus, I have made lifelong friends who just "get it". I cannot tell you enough just what Bliss means to me.
So what do Bliss do to help parents like me? As I see it there are three main functions of Bliss. Firstly Bliss are there in a practical way to help parents. They give information and support through literature and peer support. You know those Bounty packs you get when you have a baby? We have our own Bliss parent packs with specific information for parents who have had a baby in NICU.
Bliss second function is to help fund research. I have blogged recently about the Honey Dressings Project , this is just one of a number of projects taking place.
The third, and arguably most important, is campaigning. The NHS is under extreme pressure to be all things to all patients. Babies don't have a voice. Bliss gives babies a voice.
All this, of course, costs money. I want to tell you about a simple way you can help Bliss. Push a buggy. If you can get to London the flagship buggy push is happening at Brockwell Park on the 16th June.
There are other pushes happening around the country and we're planning a Bury push in July. If you want to meet me, and the star of my blog, Joseph keep an eye out for details.