Beauty therapy offered to parents of sick babies

Free beauty treatments have been offered to parents of premature and unwell babies in intensive care to support them during what is often considered a stressful and worrying time.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Scunthorpe General Hospital has been providing the pampering service with help from trainees at the nearby North Lindsey College.

Parents are given treatments, such as hand and arm massages, next to their babies' cot during the sessions.

One mother, whose baby has been in the unit for more than 20 days, said the service had provided some comfort and relaxation during the "worrying time".

Corrine Waldron, 34, gave birth to her daughter at 33 weeks. Both mother and baby were admitted to the ward when the pair became "very poorly" with sepsis.

She said: "It was a shock and it was very scary to see her with all the little wires on. It's been really, really difficult."

Ms Waldron, who has been on the ward for 21 days, said the massages had helped her "relax for two minutes".

"You worry all the time so it takes your mind away for a little bit," she said.

Larysa Korolova, who is originally from Ukraine, is training to be a beauty therapist and volunteers at the unit.

She said the service provided relief to stressed parents who were "holding their babies for a long time".

"I know I can help people with their pains, aches. I like helping people," she said.

Kerry Grimbleby, a senior staff nurse on NICU, said the sessions had been beneficial for the mental wellbeing of families on the unit.

She said: "It's a really stressful environment. Parents can often be here for a long time - some stay for a couple of weeks to even months at a time.

"We thought it would be a really nice idea for them to have some sort of wellbeing sessions while they were here."

Officials at the hospital said they hoped to get more students involved in order to increase the range of beauty treatments on offer.

"We're not just looking after the child, we looking after the family as a whole," added Ms Grimbleby.

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