When you become a Nanna your world changes. The joy of grandchildren is immeasurable. I have been very lucky to be blessed with four beautiful grandchildren. Three of them I can hug and kiss but my fourth is a very special angel.

When Charlie was born it felt fantastic to be a nanna again but i knew it was going to be a physically short term thing. I wanted to soak up as much of him as was possible.

As a family we spent 3 days on the Rosemary Suite at the LGI getting to know and care for Charlie. We were allowed to spend as much time as we wanted with him and were even able to bathe him and change him as we wanted. Carrie spent a lot of time either holding or looking at her little boy. She looked like any other proud new mummy but every now and then you would see the realisation on her face that Charlie wasn't going to be going home with her.

The staff were really good to all of us and kept us plied with toast and tea throughout our stay. They arranged for a blessing to take place on the ward at Carries request and one of the midwives even asked if it was ok for her to be present. They made up a memory box for Carrie containing photos, locks of hair, his first hat and blanket, foot and hand prints, a little candle, his umbilical cord and poems. At the time they were very painful to go through but once out of hospital i think they became Carries constant link to Charlie. I know I liked to look through it for those first few weeks, it made me feel closer to him.

The staff on the ward never made us feel pressured to go home, and Carrie made the decision that she wanted to go home on the 31st December. It was a very strange day, full of lots of emotions. We all spent time having cuddles with Charlie and saying our goodbyes for now. We knew we would be seeing him again but it made it feel more real. Whilst in hospital we were almost cut off from reality and it was our world but now we were going to have to rejoin society.

Carrie showed so much strength, she broke down on a couple of occasions, but considering what she was going through she was amazing. When we came to leave we had to walk out through the delivery suite which felt very wrong but the staff again were very supportive.

Leaving the hospital empty handed, seeing other new mums with their babies must have been so painful for Carrie. Charlie must have been extra proud of his mummy that day. I know the whole family were.