NEWBORN babies will be cosier than ever, thanks to the handiwork of a mum who knows the trials and tribulations parents can face.

Carolyn Davies, 49, is busy knitting blankets for babies born at Basildon Hospital.

She has already completed five for Southend Hospital’s maternity unit.

The mother-of-three set herself the challenge after recalling the love and care her eldest son Kevin, now 29, was given by a hospital in Cornwall when he was born prematurely, at just 26-and-a-half weeks.

Mrs Davies, of Crowstone Road, Westcliff, said: “He weighed just 1lb 13oz when he was born and they didn’t think he would survive.

“The staff were good as gold and I thought I would like to do something for a similar unit.”

Kevin spent three months in hospital following his birth and had to be rushed to hospital more than once as an infant when his heart stopped.

He grew up having no long-lasting effects from his difficult start in life.

Mrs Davies, who moved to Essex almost ten years ago, said: “He is now 6ft tall and lives a normal life. He beat all the odds to do that.”

She has already met the first recipient of one of her creations, a girl called Catherine, who was born at Southend Hospital.

Mrs Davies said: “I am now in touch with her parents, and I’ve been asked to knit a few more bits for Catherine in future.”

Once she finishes this set of blankets, Mrs Davies is planning to knit bigger ones to send to Haiti to help the ongoing relief efforts following the earthquake.

She said: “Seeing the pictures on the news of youngsters who are suffering made me very emotional, so I decided to do something practical to help them.”

Her prowess with the needles came about as a result of knitting items for her family and friends, but Mrs Davies is humble about her skills.

She said: “I’m not a very good knitter and the blankets are nothing fancy!”