The parents of a baby who spent 12 weeks in the Royal Hospital for Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Glasgow have told how they have named their daughter after her nurse, Marnie.
Little Marnie Adam is now three years old and happily attending nursery in her home of Inverness, however, she had a dramatic entrance into this world – one that her parents Rachel Bizarion and Scott Adam will never forget.
Marnie was born at 39 weeks at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, but was quickly transferred to the RHC in Glasgow where she met the nurse that she would soon be named after. Her mum, Rachel, shared their story.
“Although our pregnancy was smooth, Marnie surprised us at birth with multiple complications. At just 10 hours old, she was airlifted from Raigmore to Glasgow, embarking on her first journey alone as I wasn’t allowed to travel with her as I had just given birth.
“In Glasgow’s NICU, she was greeted by a remarkable nurse named Marnie McVeigh. This nurse’s compassion and dedication inspired us to name our daughter after her. Nurse Marnie treated our little girl as her own, guiding us through some of the darkest days with unwavering support,” she said.
For the first eight weeks of her life, the NICU in Glasgow became Marnie’s first home. Marnie underwent three major heart operations and three significant ENT repairs within those initial weeks. Following her time in the NICU, she spent a week in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and three weeks in Ward 3b before she could finally return to Raigmore.
Rachel continued:
“The journey was incredibly challenging, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For weeks, only mummy and daddy could meet her, while our family back home waited patiently and painfully to see her.
“The doctors, nurses, and surgeons there made us feel like family during our stay. Marnie is our superhero, but so are the entire team who cared for us and continue to do so during both inpatient and outpatient stays. We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who gave our girl the strength and determination to overcome those early challenges,” she said.
Marnie McVeigh, the Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, was delighted to hear this and shared her thoughts:
“Making sure families feel supported regardless of distance is challenging, but I’m very glad to be part of a team that values family-integrated care so much that it becomes second nature to us.
“I may be a little biased, but having Rachel choose Marnie as a final name is pretty awesome as it means I have a lasting link with a family that really needed support through one of the most challenging moments of their early days as a family. I wouldn’t change my job in NICU for anything, and having families keep in touch and give us these stories as feedback is just the icing on the cake for me.”
September is NICU Awareness Month. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde takes this opportunity to thank all our wonderful NICU staff for their amazing care for patients.
