Max, now 10, was born at full term at the Great Western Hospital, Swindon. After he was born, Max needed to go into special care having needed to be fully resuscitated at birth after a delivery complicated by shoulder dystocia.
Shortly after, Max was transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol to receive specialist treatment which consisted of being cooled and ventilated for 72 hours. This process helps to lessen the chances of brain damage in very sick babies. Initially, whilst Max was receiving this treatment his mother, Jo remained in hospital in Swindon.
'Using a breast pump which had been funded by New Life for Swindon, I was able to express milk, In fact, I was encouraged to do this within an hour of Max being born,' says Max's mum Jo. 'Not only was this vital to be able to feed Max, but it really gave me a sense of purpose whilst I waited anxiously for news of Max's progress and eventually allowed me to be able to breast feed him by the time he was ready to go home.
Everything went successfully in Bristol and Max was brought back to Swindon to be with Jo. 'Max was put into a 'hot cot'', says Jo, 'another piece of equipment bought by New Life.'
Years on, Jo looks back on the wonderful care Max received at both hospitals. 'Specialist care like this would not be possible without the dedication of the wonderful staff and the vital lifesaving eqiupment that makes such a difference to sick babies such as Max. The breast pump, criticool machine and hot cot were all funded by New Life, without which, Max's story could have been very different. I know they have also subsequently funded extra CFM machines used to monitor brain function in premature and sick babies. Max is now a happy and healthy boy who is thriving at school and also plays football for Swindon Town as part of their advanced program. He hopes to be a professional football player (or an astrophysicist!) when he’s older. For such a small charity, New Life does amazing work.'