NICU Journeys: Ayyub's Journey

Small beginnings

'Ayyub was born on a beautiful Summer's day on 11th of July 2021. He was born at 25 weeks, weighing just 892g.'

'Ayyub's NICU journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Some days were better than others, but NICU parents will know that some days you will take two steps forward, and ten steps backwards.'

Sara, ayyub's mum

'Ayyub was ventilated a few times during his stay in NICU which was incredibly difficult but it was never for a long period of time thankfully.'

'Ayyub would also create lots of havoc and set his monitors of all the time, but nothing too serious - he just liked to keep his fabulous nurses busy!'

'A few times, Ayyub was treated for suspected infections but his doctors and nurses were always on the ball and made sure all blood tests were done and IV drips were on to keep our little warrior going.'

'Ayyub also had a tiny hole in his heart, but with medication it soon closed over.'

'He would also get his eyes checked over frequently to make sure they were okay, but unfortunately for Ayyub, they were not. Ayyub was diagnosed with Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) stage 3.'

'Retinopathy of prematurity happens when abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina. There are 5 stages of ROP. Stage 1 (mild) to stage 5 (severe), so to hear that Ayyub was at stage 3 was heartbreaking.'

'It was decided that Ayyub would go for laser eye surgery to prevent ROP from getting any worse.'

'Walking down to theatre is every parent's worst nightmare, but after a few hours (which felt like days) Ayyub's treatment was over and thankfully a success.'

sara, ayyub's mum

'His doctors made us aware of risks with his treatment, and made us aware growing up there is a possibility of him needed glasses...and they were right!'

'Since the tiny age of 9 months, Ayyub has been wearing glasses!'

sara, ayyub's mum

'It’s a love/hate relationship with his glasses, but he’s loving his prescription sunglasses during the summer!'

'Shortly after Ayyub's laser treatment, we spent a few more weeks in NICU and after 91 very long days Ayyub was ready to come home and was discharged from NICU, but he was discharged with oxygen.'

'It wasn’t what we had in mind, but nevertheless our miracle boy was coming home!'

vCreate

'During our NICU journey, it was incredibly difficult leaving Ayyub every night, but his nurses were the most incredible ladies ever and without fail they would send us videos and pictures of Ayyub every night using vCreate!'

The charity-funded service, vCreate, allows healthcare professionals to send special video updates to families when they can’t be at their child’s side.

We have funded the introduction of vCreate at the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, as well as the Maternity Units at the Princess Royal and Royal Alexandra Hospital.

'Waking up to those pictures and videos every morning is something we were so thankful for,  just to know he’s had a peaceful night after a difficult day and knowing he was sound asleep.'

sara, ayyub's mum

'Sometimes he was cheeky and would keep his nurses company and stay awake a little later.'

'We saved all those memories on our phones and still to this day we look back at Ayyubs journey and appreciate how far he’s come.'

MiniBoo

'Ayyub also still has and plays with his miniboo which is so special and fills my heart so much!'

Miniboos are comforter blankets developed to help babies bond with their parents while they are separated from them in Neonatal Intensivce Care Units.

One blanket (known as a 'boo') is typically given to Mum who keeps this close to her chest, and another is kept inside the baby's incubator. The blankets are then swapped regularly between the baby and their mother to allow them to feel close to one another.

We are proud to have funded the Miniboo project across all three of Glasgow's Neonatal Units in 2017, and they continue to support families like Ayyub's today. 

'Miniboo really benefited me as a parent. Being able to swap our miniboos so we would have each others scent when i would leave the hospital made me feel as though I was taking a piece of him home and knowing he has my scent on his miniboo while I was not there was something that comforted me and helped me through some of the most toughest days.

SARA, AYYUB'S MUM

Life now

'Since being discharged from NICU, Ayyub still does attend neonatal check ups at the Queen Elizabeth for his eyes as well as his overall growth and development.'

'Ayyub's journey is still far from over and some days can still be quite difficult but compared to where he was to where he is now is nothing short of a miracle!'

'I’m forever indebted to all of the nurses and doctors who have cared for Ayyub and I can’t thank them enough for what they have done for our boy, as well as us as parents!'

sara, ayyub's mum

'Massive shout out to Carol, Wendy, Mandy, Zoe, Rachel at the Queen Elizabeth who really helped Ayyub through a lot of his NICU journey and for being our emotional support throughout it all! We will never forget you.'