In January 2010 my fiancé, David and I started our fifth cycle of ICSI in the hope of getting pregnant and having a baby of our own. We were starting to wonder if IVF was ever going to work for us. But it did and by the end of February 2010 we knew that we were pregnant, and not just with one baby but with two.

We thought our heartache was over. We were pregnant; we were going to have our babies.

At 26 weeks our bubble burst when I had to have emergency abdominal surgery and less than 2 weeks later our babies were born. 13 weeks too soon!

Esther came first weighing 2lb 40z followed by William at 2lb 110z. Though they were good weights for their gestation they were obviously far too small to survive without intervention.

For 6 hours the babies were ventilated to help them to breathe, they then required CPAP and oxygen for 40 days.

They started life in an incubator under blue lights for jaundice and receiving antibiotics to ward off any possible infection. They were fed breast milk through a tube into their tummy and then into their mouth. They required neonatal intensive care, high dependency and special care for the first 59 days of their lives. The care they received was excellent as was the support given to us and our families from the hospital and the charity, Bliss.

For 59 days I learned everything I could about being a Mum to these two tiny precious bundles of life and in September 2010 we were allowed to bring them home.

Throughout our hospital stay and during our early days at home we were supported by our local NICU/SCBU and received help and information from the charity, Bliss. I used their leaflets and their website to help me understand what was happening to our babies and how best we could prepare our families for what was to come. Through the Bliss website I built up a network of friends who still to this day help me with Esther and William’s daily lives. This charity does so much for babies too sick and too small to do anything for themselves; it supports families who are often too distraught to help themselves.

During our time in NICU it became apparent that we were the lucky ones. Though our babies were born very early they were not sick and they did survive. It is not always such a happy ending and so BLISS are there to help those families who are not so fortunate as we were. The work they do is incredible and benefits hundreds of babies and families every single day.

Every day hundreds of babies are born too soon, too small or too sick. This summer I am joining with Bliss and other families to help them.

On Saturday 16th July 2010, almost one year since Esther and William were born, I will be taking part in the London Bliss Buggy Push.

This London event for parents and children in buggies, held in Kensington Gardens, will raise vital funds and awareness for premature and sick babies and their families.

The Buggy Push hopes to raise £20,000 to help babies born too soon, too small or too sick.

These funds could:

•Provide telephone support for over 2000 families
•Fund 40 family support groups
•Train eight neonatal nurses in developmental care
•Fund a campaign to recruit more specialist nurses for our most vulnerable babies
•Pay for the Bliss Family Support Helpline for two months.

In short, the sponsorship collected by London Buggy Pushers and participants in events across the UK this summer will help to make a massive difference to the lives of vulnerable babies and their families.

This is a cause that is very dear to my heart and to many people I have met since the birth of Esther and William. I am very excited to be able to do something to support this charity and to give something back to a community of people who have given me so much and enabled Esther and William to have such a wonderful and strong start to their lives. The Buggy Push is a fun way to raise money, pushing Esther and William around a beautiful 5km route and then joining the other Bliss families for a teddy bears’ picnic.

If this is something that you think you might like to be a part of you can register to walk, jog or run the push with your buggy at www.bliss.org.uk/buggypush

If you are able to sponsor me or donate money to Bliss then you can do so through http://www.justgiving.com/JENNIE-NAIRN. I can assure you that your money will be put to good use and you may be responsible for helping a vulnerable baby grow from this:

Esther and William in NICU

To this …

Esther and William at 10 months

Please please give what you can

£10 could provide telephone support for a family.
£40 could give a distraught parent a counselling session with an accredited counsellor trained by Bliss
£500 could fund a family support group for a year.
£2,500 could train a neonatal nurse in the developmental care approach.
£10,000 could fund a campaign to recruit more specialist nurses for our most vulnerable babies
£20,000 could pay for the Bliss Family Support Helpline for over two months