Our Salvation
A series of illustrations to support a PhD research project on the experiences of parents of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The project aimed to look at what could be done to help parents during such a challenging time.
This particular story came from a mother who had just delivered her third baby, who was born prematurely, just like her previous two had been. Reflecting on the similarities and differences between the experiences she had had in different hospitals, with each birth.
"I just couldn’t believe it was happening again. Three premature babies, three different hospitals. And here we were again"
She spoke about how working with a feeding specialist really helped her, the nurse who cared for her baby when she wasn't able to, how things had thankfully moved on since her previous two experiences now skin-to-skin contact was a priority and how the different philosophy this time, at this hospital, made her feel more like a mother. She spoke about her husband's worries and challenges of returning home after spending time in the hospital.
I kept the colour palette soft and calm for this sensitive brief with gentle shapes and textures. The illustrations were used in a video alongside narration to support Julia's doctorate project.
commissioned by: Julia Petty, Senior Lecturer in Children’s Nursing at UH
