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Pauline Gabbett, of Love Grace’s Place, with her 13 month old daughter Grace Lawlor, in the Neo Natal unit at Limerick Maternity Hospital. Photograph by John Kelly.

Clare mum leads funding drive for ‘Love Grace’s place’


Pauline’s gala to help provide accommodation near maternity hospital for parents using neo-natal clinic

A MOTHER-OF-THREE is hosting a fundraising gala in aid of Love Grace’s Place, to raise money for accommodation for parents who have babies in the Neonatal Unit of University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL).

This fundraising event will take place in the Clayton Hotel Limerick on December 4 at 6pm.

It is estimated that one in 16 women will have a preterm birth. More than 4,500 babies are born prematurely in Ireland every year.

Inspired by her own experience of not having the benefit of accommodation near UMHL when she had her premature baby, Pauline Gabbett has set up a new charity to address this deficit.

Love Grace’s Place, which is called after her own daughter, Grace will provide free accommodation for parents while their babies are in the neonatal unit in UMHL and not from the county.

Parents from Limerick, Clare and Tipperary who are going through a tough time will have the benefit of a house where they can relax in comfort knowing they are close by their baby.

It is a well known fact that mothers of premature babies are at high risk of suffering stress, which may affect development of the child in the early years.

Parents learn their baby’s cry much sooner than anyone else, parents will know a baby’s cue before a health care professional will.

Being closer to a baby during their stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) also plays an important role in expressing and breastfeeding outcomes.

Premature breast milk is higher in protein and minerals and new mothers are encouraged to provide this milk by expressing regularly for their baby.

Being in close proximity to the hospital will ensure parents who may have otherwise missed doctor rounds or being unable to make it to the hospital regularly to drop in expressed milk, a thing of the past.

The new group has set a fundraising target of €400,000 to purchase a house near UMHL for the parents of premature babies.

While Pauline acknowledges their target involves raising a significant sum of money, she believes it can be achieved with the support of people in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.

Her daughter, Grace was born prematurely in 2018, at 29 weeks and weighing 780g. Pauline describes this as a terrifying experience as it was a complete unknown. Grace spent 98 days in the NICU before coming home.

During Grace’s time in hospital she was transferred to Dublin for three weeks for treatment, while residing in the capital city, Pauline was provided with accommodation free of charge, which took a huge financial burden off my shoulders, but it made her think about the lack of a similar service in the Mid-West.

She believes the new Mid-West facility will be of great benefit to the mothers of premature babies who have to travel long distances from West and East Clare or a pregnant woman at a wedding in the region who has to give birth to a premature baby unexpectedly.

She explains parents of premature babies experience additional financial costs going to and from the neo-natal basis and it is even more difficult if they have other children.
During the Covid-19 lockdown the Clayton Hotel Limerick were very generous in helping accommodate parents who needed somewhere safe and nearby to stay, and for that we are most grateful. The Clayton Hotel are hosting this fundraising gala.

“We are honoured to play our part in hosting this wonderful event created by Pauline Gabbett in aid of the NICU at University Maternity Hospital Limerick. It is also wonderful
to be able plan and host these events again all while raising much needed funds and raising awareness of the work done and all those plans in the pipeline.

“We are very much looking forward to the evening,” said Elaine Ryan, sales and marketing manager, Clayton Hotel Limerick.
There will be a performance by Ireland’s Houdini, Steve Spade and music from Tiny Giants followed by DJ Smiley to take revellers dancing into the night.

For more details or to sponsor the Love Grace’s Place Gala event contact lovegracesplace.webador.ie or visit their Facebook page, Love Grace’s Place.

by Dan Danaher

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