Kent baby unit receives triplet and twin cots from charity

Sandeep Kaur said she was "so happy" that her triplets were able to share a cot

A charity has bought new cots for a Kent neonatal unit that will allow more twins and triplets to be kept together.

The two new double cots were donated by the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust for Medway Maritime Hospital's special care baby unit.

Consultant neonatologist Dr Aung Soe said being nursed in the same cot could provide health benefits and build the babies' natural bond.

The charity also bought 10 single cots, at a total cost of £40,000.

Dr Soe, who works on the unit, said research showed that being together improved the babies' long-term neurodevelopment and helped stabilise their heart rates and oxygen levels.

This will be the first time the unit can nurse more than one set of multiple births together, as previously it only had one double cot.

Dr Soe is also chair of the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust

The cots, which are for babies who do not need to be in an incubator, are wider than an average neonatal bed, meaning it is easier for parents to see their children together.

Sandeep Kaur, who is the mother of five-week-old triplets who are together in one of the cots, said her babies were originally separated into two beds.

She said: "You feel bad because you feel like you are leaving the other one out. So now that they are all together you can just sit here and stare at them all day."

"I'm just so happy they are lying next to each other again," she added.

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