A GROUP of mums who met after having babies on Warrington Hospital’s neonatal unit have set up a support group for other parents whose little ones are spending time on the ward.

Emily Benbow, Josie Harrison, Leanne Davies and Siobhan Traynor all had babies who spent time on the neonatal unit in the past five years.

Now they have set up Wire Warriors - a support group for parents now in a similar situation to themselves.

Josie’s two young sons - five-year-old Freddie and three-year-old Billy - were both born prematurely, spending 14 weeks and nine weeks on the ward respectively.

The 38-year-old said: “Your life completely stops when you have a baby on the neonatal unit.

“Everything goes on hold, and you spend so much time there that when you finally take them home you have to readjust to life in the outside world.

“Freddie came home on oxygen, so it was especially difficult to take him out and access normal mum and baby groups.

“Obviously I knew a bit more about what to expect when I had Billy, but you need to work through lots of different feelings about what happened.”

Wire Warriors will meet on the first Friday of every month at the Jungle on Pinners Brow Retail Park from 10am to 11.30am - beginning today, Friday, with a coffee morning and a free sensory play session for little ones.

The group is also hoping to volunteer its support on Warrington Hospital’s neonatal unit itself in the near future.

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Josie, from Great Sankey, added: “We’re all mums who have spent time in Warrington Hospital’s neonatal unit.

“We have had quite a lot of interest from parents already.

“The idea is to offer support to other parents and to be a friendship group offering peer support.

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“At some point, we’re also hoping to volunteer on the unit and offer support there too - chatting to parents and being there to support them.”

“We were lucky that we made friends on the unit, but not everyone does.

“Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who understands.”