Reading in NICU | A Mother's Story | Children's Books | Catherine Rayner | Laura's Story
SSCB partnership with Catherine Rayner
Catherine Rayner is an award winning, Edinburgh based author and illustrator.
Catherine’s illustration of animals are magical – and her creatures come to life on the pages of her books.
Parent Support
One of our SSCB Trustees discovered Catherine when reading ‘Olga da Polga’ to her son in the unit, and later, contacted Catherine to ask for her support on a creative project.
We wanted to create a booklet - ‘A Helping Hand’ - based on the concept of a child’s storybook for parents in the unit which provides an introduction to the charity.
The experience of having a baby in the unit can be overwhelming, and naturally a lot of the information parents receive at this time relates to the practical elements of their baby’s care.
The charity wanted to connect with parents, offer them comfort and remind them that they are not alone. It also offers helpful tips from others who have shared the same experience.
A Helping Hand Booklet
We hoped that Catherine’s illustrations would create a ‘storybook’ feel, and her range of illustrations themed around new arrivals does this beautifully.
She kindly supported us in creation of the booklet, also donating a series of prints to the unit.
Download booklet: A Helping Hand
Countless parents who have spent time in the Simpson Neonatal Unit contacted us and shared their experiences and tips.
While we couldn’t feature all of their contributions, we would like to thank each and every person who took the time to send us comments.
Certificates
In addition to ‘A Helping Hand’, Catherine has kindly supported us in the creation of mementos for parents leaving the hospital.
While the majority of babies leave the hospital well, there are some babies who sadly pass away. We wanted all parents, regardless of their experience, to have an opportunity to mark the end of their neonatal journey. So we have designed certificates that will be completed by nursing staff.
If you have been in the unit prior to 2021, you may wish to download one of these to complete at home.
Download our Discharge Certificates:
Discharge Certificate Elephant
Download our Certificate of Life:
Catherine Rayner
We can’t thank Catherine and her team enough for their kind and generous support of the charity.
You can find out more about her work and find some of her gorgeous books on her website
www.catherinerayner.co.uk
Catherine Rayner Reading
"Augustus and his smile"
Reading by Catherine Rayner of her illustrated book.
Support Us
Purchase your copy of our children's book "Winging It!"
Reading in NICU | A Mother's Story | Children's Books | Catherine Rayner | Laura's Story