Last summer, mum-to-be Nicola went into labour at just 29 weeks. Her twins Chester and Charlie were transferred to the Neonatal Unit at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

For the first few weeks of their lives, Nicola’s babies were kept apart in separate incubators to help them grow and build their strength, which meant Nicola had to spend time with them separately.

Nicola was absolutely delighted when her twins were moved into a twin cot, funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity, “It was so lovely to see my babies together again, I decorated the cot with a canopy and bunting to celebrate! The boys instantly snuggled into each other and I could tell they both felt a lot more comfortable and safe.”

When Nicola and her partner Liam were unable to be on the ward with Charlie and Chester, they were thrilled to receive photo and video updates of their little ones.

Thanks to the vCreate app, also funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity staff on the unit can send parents, like Nicola and Liam short videos and photos of their babies, helping to minimise separation anxiety.

Nicola is so grateful for the support her little family received, “We absolutely adored the staff at Jimmy’s, we knew our boys were receiving amazing care, but the little things really made a difference. Knowing they were together in the twin cot and waking up to see such lovely photos and videos of them every day gave us reassurance and peace of mind that they were ok.”

Chester and Charlie are now 10 months old and are doing really well, they are now able to hold themselves up and are starting to crawl.