A COURAGEOUS Ibrox woman who suffered the heartbreaking loss of her baby daughter is supporting a new Glasgow hospital project.
Asma Anwar appears in an immersive virtual tour of the neonatal unit at the city's Royal Hospital for Children.
Asma’s twin girls, Inara and Yasna, were cared for in the unit in 2018 after being born at 25 weeks.
Sadly, Inara died four days later. Asma and her husband Anwar were able to take Yasna home after 169 days in intensive care.
When the neonatal team sought a parent to help guide other families through the unit in the new virtual tour, Asma was pleased to support them.
The tour was the idea of senior charge nurse Tracy Clinton, and it was created by graphic designer David Springford, from Atom Design, with the support of Hi Scotland and the West of Scotland Innovation Hub, hosted by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Asma appears throughout, and other parents join her at appropriate parts of the walkthrough, telling their own neonatal stories.
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“We wanted to make it positive,” said Asma. “Tracy believed with my experience I could help them make something that is useful for other families, so I agreed to do it to help make parents feel more at ease.
“The walkthrough touches on every aspect of NICU, from where you can see your baby to where to wash your hands.”
She adds: “Our time in the neonatal unit was a rollercoaster, but the staff were so supportive.
“When the girls were delivered, they told us just to take it one day at a time. We took that on board, and we took it day by day. There were good days and bad days, especially when Inara deteriorated after 48 hours.
“They took great care of our son, Orhan, who at that point was a year and three months old.
“When we lost Inara, the staff fed and entertained my son and put him to bed. They rearranged things to ensure he slept properly, so that we had time with Inara.”
Asma added: “For the six months Yasna was in the neonatal unit, we could not be there all the time.
“The staff did everything a mother could have done, from bathing her to singing to her.
“That experience is bittersweet, but we are very thankful we got all that support and the treatment that was needed.”
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NHSGGC senior charge nurse Tracy Clinton said: “We listened when parents told us they wanted to be introduced to the unit by other parents, not just the medical team.
“It was also important to us that the tour was inclusive by providing other language options which we hope to expand on in the future.
“We are extremely grateful to Asma and all the families and staff who contributed."
To see the 360° virtual tour visit the NHSGGC website.
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