Making maternity care more comfortable

Twelve chairs have been put into the neonatal ward at the hospital

Specialist chairs designed to help parents feel more comfortable when feeding or caring for their new-born babies have been introduced to Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital.

New parents can sleep in the chairs which fully recline and assist them feeding their babies, the hospital said.

A total of 12 chairs costing £48,000 have been bought by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity for the hospital's neonatal unit.

Sarah Crowshaw, ward manager, said they were a huge upgrade on what was available previously.

She said: “The chairs supplied by the NHS are hard and very upright. The new ones we have had donated by the charity are so much better.

“A lot of parents like to sleep at the baby’s bedside and can do so in these chairs as they fully recline, so can be used 24 hours if parents wish to.

“They also help with the feeding of the babies and are specially designed to make this easier for the parents.”

New mother Lucy Gould, from Bridgnorth, who was among the first to try them after giving birth, said she had been singing their praises.

“I think the new chairs are absolutely brilliant," she said.

"I had a joke going with the other women that I was like a sales rep for them I was singing their praises so much.

“I spent hours and hours on the unit and this chair made my stay a lot more comfortable."

Amie Rogers, the charity's fundraising officer, said: “We were thrilled to provide the chairs to the neonatal department to enhance the environment and support given to new mums during their stay on the unit."