Baby thrives in new unit

Caboolture Hospital’s new neonatal unit has come the rescue of Clare, Josh and their premmie baby Finlay.

Clare went into early labour and Finley Maximus was born at just 29 weeks on July 28 in the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Finley spent more than six weeks receiving respiratory support on CPAP and then three weeks on high-flow oxygen as his lungs developed.

Last week, he was transferred to Caboolture's new Neonatal Unit (NNU) rooming-in rooms, just around the corner from Clare and Josh’s home.

“We don’t have family here, they’re all in Sydney - so it’s just us. To now have support so close to home means everything,” Clare said.

Finley’s arrival in the new unit comes shortly after a significant milestone for Caboolture Hospital in October 14.

The hospital officially opened its new Neonatal Unit, now four times the footprint of the previous facility, providing specialised care for unwell and premature babies.

The upgraded unit has three single isolation rooms for enhanced infection control and privacy, state-of-the-art procedure room with latest technology and switchable privacy glass between high-dependency bays and isolation rooms.

It also has a dedicated reception and family waiting area, two new rooming-in rooms to support step-down care and bonding and space to promote family-centred care allowing parents to stay close to their newborns.

Finley’s move back to Caboolture has supported a new stage of his care - transitioning off high-flow oxygen and beginning breastfeeding.

“Establishing feeds has been hard, so we are grateful to be here,” Clare said.

“The nurses are amazing, right there when we need them. Even when I called at 5am for help to get him to latch, they had so many tips and tricks.”

Transferring Finley to Caboolture NNU has also eased the pressure on the family.

“My car was broken, so I was getting public transport between Caboolture and Brisbane every day,” Clare said.

“Finley’s Dad was struggling to see him due to work commitments, but now he is here, he can see him a lot more.”

Finley is due to go home in a couple of days, where their yellow labrador dog, Peanut, is waiting for his new baby brother.