EVERY year 50,000 babies in the UK are born prematurely. Premature babies have less time in the womb to mature and develop, and as a result they’re often at increased risk of medical and developmental problems.

Charities, such as Bliss, have been set up to help ease the burden for parents, often at their wits end and in need of support through what can be a emotional and worrying time.

Bliss is a special baby care charity, founded nearly 30 years ago, which offers support and care for premature and sick babies. It also raises funds for vital research into the problem.

The Basildon-based support group celebrated its first anniversary last week.

Founded by community nurses Donna Wells and Sue Dyer, the group offers free support for parents and carers as well as a safe environment for young children to play.

Meetings are held at the Kaleidoscope Children’s Centre, Vange, every Tuesday at 10am. They also have guest speakers who give talks on related subjects such as baby sign language and car safety.

The age of the babies range from newborn to two years.

Donna feels the group offers a lifeline to stressed parents. “I decided to set the group up after visiting another one in Benfleet which was very popular,” she explains. “Mums with special needs babies didn’t like ordinary playgroups as they felt their kids were being compared with other, normal babies.

After seeing their babies lying in intensive care, special needs mums felt they couldn’t identify with the more trivial /petty concerns of ordinary mums.”

Babies born more than ten weeks early are normally underdeveloped, which means they take longer to walk and talk than ordinary children.

All toys provided at the centre are specialist, designed to aid and encourage development. Often a physiotherapist attends the meetings.

“In many cases, limbs of premature babies can be either excessively floppy or very tight,” explains Donna. “As a result, several at the Basildon group need regular treatment. This way the physiotherapist can treat several babies in a fraction of the time it would take to do individual home visits.”

Babies with any type of disability or special needs are welcome at the club. Numbers vary from ten up to 25 and include dads, carers, and foster parents as well as mums. Sometimes student nurses also come along to observe.

The group has proved to be so successful that plans are being made to open another in Billericay.

CASE STUDY Gwendolyne Larsen-Parry, from Basildon, lives with her partner, Harold Koboah, and son, Kieran, who is nine months old.

Although she had an operation to remove fibroids, before they were removed they had caused her womb to be squashed.

“Soon after, I fell pregnant, but six months into the pregnancy my blood pressure rocketed and I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, which caused my arms and legs to swell up like a balloon. It was horrible,” recalls Gwen.

In addition another condition was diagnosed which meant the baby was not getting enough oxygen. As the baby’s heartbeat was weakening, doctors performed an emergency caesarean at 30 weeks.

“Kieran now has chronic lung disease, which should in time go away by itself, but means his development is slower than normal kids. Thankfully his brain is fine,” says Gwen.

“He was in intensive care for three months, as he couldn’t breathe on his own and has been on oxygen 24-7 since then. It was very distressing seeing this tiny baby so helpless, and not knowing what would happen.”

“In terms of support, the group has been brilliant. I thought I was the only mum in the world whose baby was on oxygen, but coming here and seeing other children with the same condition and to watch them improving gives me such a boost. It gives me hope for the future.

“I used to get so depressed, but I’ve met other mums who have been through a similar experience to me.”

“Kieran loves coming too, he plays a lot with the other kids. It wears him out, which is good so he sleeps at home. Eventually he should be completely cured, but already there’s been a big breakthrough as now he only needs oxygen at night.’