Portlaoise baby unit asking for donations of iPads during Covid-19

Parents who cannot visit premature babies during Covid-19 are experiencing separation anxiety and Portlaoise hospital staff need the public's help to help them communicate remotely.

The neo-natal baby unit in Portlaoise hospital is asking the public for an iPad to help parents separated from their babies during Covid-19.

Staff in the special care unit for sick or premature babies have put out the request on Twitter.

The hospital staff are trying to install Secure Video Messaging technology, which is designed to help minimise separation anxiety in parents of children in Neonatal Units, Paediatric Units and Children’s Hospices.

Midwife Claire O'Loughlin tweeted the request on Wednesday night April 15.

"We are hoping to implement @vCreateNeonatal
visiting in our Baby Unit in MRH Portlaoise but we need 1 ipad. Can anyone help us? Never before have we had such restrictions on visiting especially for dads, in order to protect their sick or premature babies," she writes.

Twitter call for help. We are hoping to implement @vCreateNeonatal visiting in our Baby Unit in MRH Portlaoise but we need 1 ipad. Can anyone help us? Never before have we had such restrictions on visiting especially for dads, inorder to protect their sick or premature babies.

— claire o'loughlin (@claireoloughlin) April 15, 2020

Urgent call out for iPads, ICU and special care baby unit in Portlaoise hospital #COVID19 #family #communication@BusyTweeters @NorahCasey @Ballykilcavan

— Kate Knowles (@wolfhillartist) April 16, 2020