Physical Health United Kingdom Project #30686

Providing life-saving machines for heart babies

by Tiny Tickers

Providing life-saving machines for heart babies

Project Report | May 14, 2025
Thank you for helping us bring pulse oximetry testing to thousands of babies

By Kym Kitching | Head of Fundraising and Partnerships

Thanks to your incredible support, our project to supply pulse oximetry machines to NHS maternity units has far exceeded expectations. We originally set out to fund just over 300 machines, but, because of your generosity, we’ve now placed more than 600 across the UK.

This simple test, which helps detect serious heart conditions in newborns, is now offered by an estimated 85% of NHS Trusts. That’s a huge step forward in helping babies with congenital heart disease (CHD) get the early diagnosis and treatment they need - and you’ve been a vital part of that progress.

Your donations have truly made a difference. Every day, babies are being tested using machines funded by our amazing supporters. We often hear from health professionals and families about how this testing has helped save lives. Thank you.

What’s next?

While our work supplying machines is coming to a close, we’re now focusing on the next phase: making sure the test is delivered accurately and consistently, and that parents are fully informed.

We’re developing new training resources for health professionals, alongside accessible, multilingual materials for parents, so that every baby has the best possible chance, no matter where they are born.

From now on, donations for our pulse oximetry work will go towards these important new goals. As part of this transition, we’ll be closing the specific donation page for the pulse oximetry project in June 2025. If you’d still like to support this life-saving work, please donate to our general support fund, which helps us continue our vital efforts across all areas of CHD detection and care.

We’re so grateful to have had your support on this journey, and we hope you’ll stay with us as we take the next steps to give every baby a better start.

Links:

Donate to our main project

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Jan 15, 2025
Your support is saving lives

By Kym Kitching | Head of Fundraising and Partnerships

Baby Ada

Every year 1,000 babies leave hospital with their heart defect undetected, potentially putting their lives in grave danger. Thanks to support like yours Tiny Tickers has now placed over 600 pulse oximetry machines across the UK, because we believe every baby deserves the test that could help save their life.
Ada’s heart conditions were detected by a pulse oximetry test hours after birth. Her mum, Natasha, shares their story:

Ada was born full-term, by emergency c-section, after a failed induction. She was a seemingly healthy newborn, weighing just over 4kg. I had an infection during labour and Ada needed a cannula for antibiotics as a precaution, which felt like the worst thing in the world. My husband went home that evening to sleep and my mum stayed with me to help with Ada as I was still very uncomfortable after having had a c-section. At some point during the night, a nurse came and completed some newborn checks, including oxygen saturations. Ada’s were sitting in the 80s and she wanted them above 94.

After trying hands and feet, and even a different machine, Ada was taken to the NICU with my mum, where they tried to get to the bottom of why this was happening. Shortly after, they phoned another hospital for advice and I was wheeled around to be with her. They suspected transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and administered prostin to keep the valve open and her blood mixing.

My husband came back to the hospital and, by 9am, she was in an ambulance with him heading to another hospital.

Shortly after arriving and multiple tests later, doctors confirmed that Ada had TGA, ASD (hole in the heart) and dextropositon. We spent just under two weeks waiting for a bed for her at the heart centre for the switch surgery. This felt like torture because our lives were in limbo. She spent five days in PICU, where we had some of the most amazing nurses caring for her.

We spent just under two weeks in hospital after her surgery, but then were able to take her home. The scariest drive ever!

Reading other people’s stories through Tiny Tickers really helped me during this time, and I hope that by sharing our story, I can help someone else. Ada is now nearly one and she’s doing really well, hitting all her milestones. She’s full of personality, and other than a wonder line on her chest, you wouldn’t know.

We are grateful for Tiny Tickers and everything they do. Early detection would have allowed us to prepare ourselves better mentally and hopefully would have meant I wouldn’t have been separated from Ada for so long.

Find out more about pulse oximetry testing, and why it’s so important for all newborns to be screened, here.

Ada's wonderline scar

Ada today

Links:

https://www.tinytickers.org/get-involved/our-appeals/test-for-tommy/

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Sep 18, 2024
Heart Brothers

By Kym Kitching | Head of Fundraising

"We are hopeful and feeling very positive. Lennox and Sonny are SO excited to be big brothers." - Joe

Brothers Lennox and Sonny were both born with serious heart conditions. Lennox's heart defect, aortic stenosis, wasn't diagnosed until he was in heart failure. His little brother Sonny's condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), was detected antenatally.

The boys' dad, Joe, says, "We have experienced both early detection and no early detection and therefore feel passionate about sharing our story. We feel we are in a unique position to be able to help others. We also feel that had we known the signs before having Lennox, we most definitely would have caught it sooner."

The family has raised £15,000 for Tiny Tickers, making such a difference for the future of all heart babies. We can't thank them enough for everything they do.

The couple are now expecting their third, heart healthy, child.

Everyone at Tiny Tickers continues to be inspired and humbled by their dedication to helping other children with CHD.

You can read their full story on our website.

How Tiny Tickers helps children like Lennox & Sonny

Sonographer training

Tiny Tickers is the sole provider of hands-on, hospital based cardiac screening training for sonographers in the UK. This enhances the confidence and skills sonographers need to detect heart defects during pregnancy scans.

Funding potentially life-saving equipment

Not every heart condition will or can be diagnosed during pregnancy. If newborn babies are given a pulse oximetry test soon after birth, heart defects can be identified. We believe every baby should have the test that could help save their life, so we place pulse oximetry machines in maternity units across the UK.

Spreading awareness

Our awareness campaigns inform and empower parents-to-be about their 20-week scan and raise awareness of the five potential signs of a heart defect in newborns.

Family support

Finding out your baby has a serious heart condition can be a truly devastating experience. We support families through diagnosis and their child’s treatment, with reliable information, signposting and peer support.

Joe with his boys

Heart Brothers

Newborn Sonny

Think HEART

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