Introducing the new premature baby range from Tu – Tu Baby: Premature

This post is a paid partnership with Tu. 

Did you know that 1 in every 13 babies in the UK is born prematurely? I certainly had no idea that the numbers were so high and it wasn’t until Eva, Megan and Harry were all born prematurely at 34 weeks that I realised just how difficult, and often out-right devastating, this can be for far too many families. I’m delighted to be working with Tu to raise awareness of their new Tu Baby: Premature range available now in selected Sainsbury’s stores and on Tu.co.uk.

As you all know, my journey to Motherhood didn’t come easily. Not only did we suffer the tragic stillbirth of our second son Joseph at full term, but we lost 15 much wanted babies along the way. As a result, when I finally fell pregnant with Eva, Megan and Harry, I had to self inject with Clexane each day, have scans every 2 weeks, and was monitored 3 times per week in my final trimester. And whilst the plan had always been to reach 37 weeks before induction, we never made it that far.

Whilst Eva was born at 34 weeks, tiny but perfectly healthy other than jaundice, the following year when Megan arrived, and the year after when Harry was born, we weren’t quite so lucky. Both Megan and Harry spent the first few weeks of their lives in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) on CPAP, tube fed and being treated with antibiotics. One of the hardest moments of my whole life was having to leave our children behind at the same hospital I had said goodbye to Joseph all those years go. I will never forget just how completely heartbreaking that felt to return home with empty arms, again.

Our time on NICU was incredibly hard and I look back now and wonder how we ever survived those weeks, remembering the sound of the machines beeping, alarms sounding, parents crying, seeing babies smaller than the palm of my hand fighting for their lives. As heartbreaking as it was, and as much as it killed me to see my babies so unwell, looking back it makes you realise just how lucky any of us are to leave the hospital with a healthy baby and, when the day finally came around for us to go home as a family of six, it was with immense gratitude and happiness.

I am often asked for advice on how to cope with a baby on Neonatal and yet research shows that getting involved in your baby’s care on the neonatal unit helps you to bond with your baby, feel more confident as a parent and can even lead to a shorter stay in hospital. I know that for us, getting involved in the children’s daily cares was so important and for me as a Mummy, it made me feel a little less helpless. Choosing their clothes each day was really important to me and yet all of the beautiful outfits we had picked out prior were far too big. For the most part they wore clothes provided by the Neonatal unit, kindly donated or knitted by others and, although we were so grateful for that, I did feel sad that even a decision so small had been taken away from us.

Thankfully things have changed a lot over the last few years and I was so excited to learn that Tu have launched their first ever baby clothing range designed for premature babies: Tu Baby: Premature. The range is being launched in partnership with Bliss, the UK’s leading charity for babies born premature or sick and a charity we have supported whole heartedly over the years.

The Tu Baby: Premature range is suitable for babies from 2 to 4lbs and not only are the designs beautiful, but they are practical too. I know for me, when the children were hooked up to breathing apparatus, feeding tubes, heart monitors and drips, I felt very nervous dressing them at first for fear of dislodging a tube or causing them any pain. That’s the first thing I noticed about the Tu Baby: Premature range, that they are designed to open flat for easy dressing and care which is exactly what you need.

I love that each item of clothing has soft flat seams and printed labels so they are soft and gentle on babies skin with no scratchy labels or raised edges to aggravate them. With baby soft hook and eye fastening for easy dressing they have literally thought of everything to make your baby as comfortable as possible, and parents as confident as possible dressing them. Even better, all items are machine washable to 95 degrees which is so important when you’re trying to keep everything as sterile as possible.

The range offers sleep suits, bodysuits, hats, cardigans, mittens and multi packs and prices range from just £3 to £15. It can often feel overwhelming to suddenly have to buy a whole new set of clothes for a baby you have spent the last few months buying for, so I love that the range is affordable and with such good quality, a few pieces can really see you through.

We are planning on returning to the Neonatal Unit where our children were born next week to donate all items gifted to us by Tu for this post and I hope that they bring comfort to the next parent who needs them, allowing them to dress their baby with confidence and comfort. Although our 3 youngest are now a healthy 6, 7 and 8, those days on NICU never leave you and I will always hold them that little bit tighter as a result.

You can find out more about the Tu Baby: Premature range here.