The country and western loving parents of a baby born four weeks early have raised almost £3,400 for The Archie Foundation by organising a hoedown in their local village hall.
Baby Freya was born via emergency caesarean section in September 2024, which is NICU Awareness Month, after her mum Rebecca Williams was admitted to Aberdeen Maternity Hospital to monitor and control her blood pressure due to pre-eclampsia.
Shortly after she was born, weighing in at 7lb, baby Freya was taken to the neonatal unit due to breathing difficulties.
Rebecca explains: “She was a healthy weight, so we naively assumed she would be fine, which almost made it worse. She did have a wee cry after she was born but was whisked away before I set eyes on her.
“I was stitched up and I had to go back to a high intensity ward because I was poorly with pre-eclampsia, so Freya was being looked after in the neonatal unit, and my husband was trying to split his time between the two of us.
“I ended up getting to see her about nine hours later. It was horrible not having seen your baby and I remember going into this room of babies and I couldn’t have picked my baby out. I was so emotional and overwhelmed but the nurses were lovely from that first encounter.”
The family were supported by the staff at the neonatal unit and The Archie Foundation, which provides extras such as parent accommodation, hot drinks and snacks for families while their babies are being cared for in the unit.
The charity also fundraises for specialist neonatal equipment such as Giraffe incubators.
Rebecca and Rhys with baby Freya.
Rebecca continued: “We were blown away by how amazing the staff were during the week Freya spent in neonatal. She wasn’t the littlest, and they look after the sickest babies so they had lots of babies and families to deal with, but it felt like they were only there for us. They helped with breastfeeding and went above and beyond for me and my husband, making room for my wires and wheelchair because I was still quite sick.”
The level of care they received stuck with Rebecca and her husband Rhys, and they wanted to do something to give back.
Being fans of country music, they decided to organise a country hoedown in Pitmedden Village Hall and donate the funds raised to Archie to support its work in the neonatal unit.
Rebecca wrote a poem to encourage local businesses to donate raffle prizes, which she believes helped with donations. Lines from the poem included ‘Aberdeen Neonatal Team, our saving grace. Amazing heroes, wiped tears from our face.’
The money raised will be used to enhance the support provided for babies and their families and Rebecca says the couple now plan to make the hoedown an annual event.
“We’ve raised money for different local causes over the years but now we feel connected to the neonatal unit, this is something close to our hearts and we want to keep raising money to help.”
Every year, more than 90,000 babies are cared for in neonatal units in the UK because they have either been born early (before 37 weeks) or full term (after 37 weeks) but sick.
NICU Awareness Month is observed throughout September and recognises premature and sick babies, their families and the healthcare professionals who care for them in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
Reti Turner, regional fundraising officer at The Archie Foundation, said every donation makes a difference.
“We are so grateful to Rebecca and Reece for their support for Archie and particularly the neonatal unit, where their daughter was cared for as a newborn. It is fitting that Freya was born last September during NICU Awareness Month, which allows us to highlight the work neonatal teams do while also raising money and reaching those who need help at a difficult time in their lives.
“The proceeds from the hoedown will help us to continue to provide support for babies, children and families across the North of Scotland, including bereavement counselling.”
For more information about the financial and practical support offered to babies, children and families by The Archie Foundation, visit www.archie.org/getsupport/