Rotunda Hospital Celebrates World Prematurity Day 2018

To celebrate premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital and to applaud their strength and tenacity, the Rotunda Foundation hosted a party in their honour on Thursday 15^th November. All babies born in 2016 who weighed less than 1500 grams along with their parents and siblings will join together to celebrate World Prematurity Day and also to mark a successful year of “Tentacles for Tinies”, a pilot project launched by the Rotunda Hospital last year.

The Rotunda Hospital also announced the hospital’s 2017 Annual Clinical Report, which shows that in 2017 the survival rate of normal babies born premature at 28 weeks or later was 100%.

Commenting on these superb outcome results, Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Professor Fergal Malone said “I am delighted to announce these results on World Prematurity Day, which is one of the most important days in the year to raise awareness of the challenges that families face as result of a preterm birth. One of the main risk factors for preterm birth is having delivered preterm in a prior pregnancy followed by medical complications such as blood pressure problems during pregnancy or poor fetal growth. The team at the Rotunda utilizes the latest cutting edge research to optimize the early diagnosis of preterm birth, preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Combined with significant improvements in integrated obstetric and neonatal care, this underpins these excellent outcome results for some of our most vulnerable babies. More families than ever now have healthy surviving babies because of continued advances in obstetric and neonatal care at the Rotunda.”

Coverage of World Prematurity Day and our celebrations

Celebrations took place at the @RotundaHospital in #Dublin today to mark #WorldPrematurityDay, @nicole_gernon reports. pic.twitter.com/i4876wmPOX

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) November 15, 2018

Today is #WorldPrematurityDay. The Rotunda Hospital is celebrating with a party for babies who were born weighing under 1500 grams in 2016. Look at them now! pic.twitter.com/AJoSmF0JdG

— Kim Buckley (@KiiimBuckley) November 15, 2018

Martina Duffy is from The Rotunda Knitters. They make clothes for tiny babies when newborn clothes are far too big. #WorldPrematurityDay pic.twitter.com/itlRpvHw2b

— Kim Buckley (@KiiimBuckley) November 15, 2018

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Some photos from the day!

: John Douglas (age 2 and a half) from Finglas with Tentacles for Tinies at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day. All babies born in 2016 who weighed less than 1500 grams along with their parents and siblings joined together to celebrate World Prematurity Day and also to mark a successful year of “Tentacles for Tinies”, an pilot project launched by the Rotunda Hospital last year.

: Paula and Mark Douglas with their son John (age 2 and a half) from Finglas with Tentacles for Tinies at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.

: Sharon and Kieth Chambers with their daughter Grace (age 2) from Stamullen, Co Meath at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.

: NICU Nurses Siobhan Mulvany and Sally Thomas with Alan Donnelly with his twin daughters Zia ans Zoe (age 2) from Drogheda at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.

: Nathan Thompson with his son Mason (age 2) from Coolock, Dublin with Tentacles for Tinies at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.

: Imelda and Noel Reynolds with their daughter Hollie (age 2) from Longford with Tentacles for Tinies at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.

: Elizabeth O’Connors (age 2) from Newbridge at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.

: Jenny Clarke with her daughter Emily (age 2) from Cavan at a celebration of premature infants born at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital to mark World Prematurity Day.