A neonatal nurse at Antrim Area Hospital has completed a doctoral degree examining ways to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms among parents of babies in neonatal care.

Victoria Craig, who works as a Neonatal Clinical Educator at the hospital, graduated from Queen's University earlier this year with a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Her research focused on practical techniques that could help parents cope with the psychological impact of having a baby admitted to a neonatal unit.

Craig's interest in the field began when her daughter Catherine was born nearly 12 weeks early, weighing 975 grams, 20 years ago. Catherine spent her first weeks in a Belfast hospital before being transferred to the neonatal unit at Antrim Area Hospital, and after almost 10 weeks of care she went home. Craig has said that experience led her to pursue a career in neonatal nursing because she wanted to give back to the unit that helped her family.

Over the past two decades, Craig has worked in neonatal services, supporting families and training healthcare staff. In her role as clinical educator, she assists with the educational needs of staff, parents and students, including bedside teaching and policy development.

Her doctoral study compared two techniques, the butterfly hug and the safe calm place exercise, with playing the computer game Tetris as possible ways to support parents in neonatal units. The butterfly hug involves crossing the arms so each hand rests on the opposite collarbone and gently tapping for 30 to 40 seconds while focusing on a feeling of safety. The approach is intended to reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories.

Craig's work adds to evidence that neonatal care can have lasting emotional effects on parents and that psychological support for families is important while medical teams care for babies.

Craig also noted that the most rewarding part of her job is seeing babies return to the hospital for clinical appointments and observing how well they have progressed.

Shirley Montgomery, Lead Paediatric Nurse at the hospital, congratulated Craig on completing her doctorate. Montgomery said the team is proud of Craig's dedication and commitment, and that her personal experience, professional expertise and academic achievement allow her to make a valuable contribution to neonatal services.