WALKING into the neo natal unit at South West Acute Hospital, Tina Robertson from Enniskillen could see her little daughter Chelsea lying in an incubator, wired up to several machines. 
Born six weeks early, she would spend 10 days in the unit, being cared for by the doctors and nurses.
“Chelsea stopped growing inside me so after a week of tests they decided I had to be induced at 35 weeks, her lungs were full of sticky stuff and they collapsed twice,” she said.
“If she hadn’t received those tests and they hadn’t found out her lungs were not developing I believe she would have died inside me,” Mrs. Robertson told this newspaper. 
“Going in and looking at her in the wee incubator; the wires, not being able to touch her. 
“As soon as you walk in and see your tiny baby and those machines, it is overwhelming. 
“It was a scary experiencing, not knowing what the outcome would be or if it was the last time you were going to see her,” she recalled.
Chelsea, who was born in 2012 with a heart murmur weighed 4lb 4oz, but her mother was unable to hold her for six days. 
“I really struggled but the staff at the hospital were amazing. When I was upset they were there to comfort me. The neo natal unit was a scary place to be but the staff were very helpful.
“As soon as you went in they told all you needed to know, they would answer all your questions and were very sympathetic to how you were feeling,” she said. 
Mrs. Robertson believes the neo natal saved her daughter’s life.
“Yes, it saved her life.
“If they hadn’t spotted her not growing I don’t know what would of happened. I am also grateful to the staff who looked after me the week before when I went into hospital.”
She fears what could happen to other babies if the neo natal unit is closed. 
“I am shocked, that unit is saving babies’ lives and without it they could end up dying. The service needs to be there to keep babies alive because they need immediate treatment.”
And she has this message for those within the health service who will be making the decision about the future of this vital service: “Put yourself in our position: if you were going through this, if you had a premature baby and that was the service you needed to keep your baby alive would you be happy with it closing? 
“We need the neo natal unit here or babies will die,” she said. 
Five year old Chelsea, who enjoys watching cartoons and gymnastics, started P1 at the Model Primary School in Enniskillen earlier this month and hasn’t looked back since.