Fundraiser for Stourport baby born three months early

A fundraiser has been launched to support the family of a baby born more than three months premature.

Pace weighed just 642g (1.4lbs) when he was born six weeks ago.

He is currently at a specialist unit in Bristol, and his parents are having to travel back and forth from their home in Stourport, Worcestershire, to be by his side.

His mother, Bella Galbraith, said he faced a "very long way to go" before he was able to come home.

Pace was born at 25 weeks on 7 March, which Ms Galbraith said had been "terrifying".

He is currently on a specialist machine to aid his breathing, has monitors checking his heart rate, breathing and temperature, she said.

He is also having blood transfusions and is having regular blood tests to check his progress.

"Pace at the moment is doing well for his gestation," Ms Galbraith said.

"He has currently a collapsed right side of his lung. We've just found out he has got an infection in that lung as well so he is getting treatment for that."

Long term, Ms Galbraith said her son could face chronic lung disease, blindness or deafness, due to being born so premature.

She said the "best case scenario" was that Pace could come home in June.

"He could have a multitude of different brain issues later on in life which we won't know until he is older," she said.

"Unfortunately it is just to soon to tell."

Pace's father, Paul Jones, said the couple were dividing their time between their three other children and Pace.

He said they were "struggling financially" as he had to delay starting a new job, which he had been due to begin the day Pace was born.

A fundraiser has now been set up to help pay for fuel and supporting the family.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]