Hospital appeals for state-of-the-art incubators that even record parents reading bedtime stories to sick babies in Milton Keynes

The BabyLeo incubators have an 'air curtain' to keep temperatures constant, which means staff and parents can reach in an touch the babies without worrying about them getting chilled.

They have built ion weighing scales so the babies don't have to be taken out and weighed. And staff can play soothing music through them, or a bedtime story parents have pre-recorded.

Head of the Milton Keynes Hospital charity Vanessa Holmes, said the unit was hoping to raise £100,000 to buy four BabyLeo incubators. She described them as the "Rolls Royce’ of incubators" that offer the best environment to babies born too early, too small or very ill.

This week the head of a specialist care providing company kicked off the appeal by buying one £25,000 incubator.

The gesture from Neil Russell is to say thank you for the care his son Alfie received in the neonatal unit.

Neil, who is chairman of Milton Keynes-based specialist care provider, PJ Care, said Alfie was born seven weeks premature and struggled to breathe.

“Alfie went into an incubator the moment he was born,” he said. “Two days in, he stopped breathing and had to be intubated. He had a hole in one of his lungs which had caused it to collapse. It was a horrible time but the staff were out of this world.

“My partner Michaela and I lived in the hospital for the first week so we could be with him all the time. Lead nurse, Karen Rice, and her colleagues really helped us to stay positive. They made it feel as though we weren’t in hospital.

"They were fantastic. “We had complete confidence in their abilities and they included us in everything involving Alfie. This is our chance to give something back.”

Alfie is now a healthy two-year-old who loves jumping in puddles and bouncing on his trampoline. Neil said he and Michaela will be forever grateful to the staff at Milton Keynes Hospital.

Neil said: “The care Alfie, and we as parents, received during such an awful time was amazing and we hope that by supporting the hospital’s fundraising campaign we are helping to give other babies the very best start in life.”

As head of PJ Care, Neil is responsible for two neurological care centres in Milton Keynes: Bluebirds on Faraday Drive in Shenley Lodge and Mallard House on Dunthorpe Way in Grange Farm. The centres provide specialist neurological care for people with conditions such as Young and Early Onset dementia, Huntington’s disease and acquired brain injuries.

Donations to the BabyLeo appeal can be made via the hospital charity website here or by taking part in the charity’s ‘Be Seen in Green’ campaign throughout October. See here for details.