August 14, 2026

A neonatal nurse whose daughter was born almost 12 weeks early has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), transforming her own experience as a parent into a career dedicated to supporting babies and their families.

Victoria Craig, Neonatal Clinical Educator at Antrim Area Hospital, graduated from Queen’s University earlier this year after completing her research focused on helping parents cope with the psychological impact of having a baby in neonatal care.

To mark International Neonatal Nurses Day, we are looking back on Victoria’s journey, which began 20 years ago when her daughter was born at just over 28 weeks.

Reflecting on her experience, Victoria said: “My daughter was born roughly 12 weeks early, weighing 975 grams, less than a bag of sugar. She is now 20 and has never looked back.”

Baby Catherine spent her first weeks in hospital in Belfast before she was moved to the Neonatal Unit in Antrim. After almost 10 weeks of neonatal care, she was finally able to go home with her family.

The experience had a profound impact on Victoria and ultimately inspired her to pursue a career in neonatal nursing, dedicating her working life to the unit that helped give her daughter the best possible start in life.

“When I first applied for the job here, I felt I had something to give back because I had such a positive experience as a parent. I felt like I could return that favour and help support other parents in the same situation,” she said.

Over the past two decades, Victoria has built a career supporting families and educating healthcare professionals within neonatal services. As Neonatal Clinical Educator, she works closely with staff, students and parents to ensure the highest standards of care are delivered across the unit.

“Working as a Clinical Educator, I support the educational needs of staff, parents and students. This involves lots of work at the bedside and cot side, as well as policy development and other initiatives that help staff deliver the best care we can to our families.”

Her own experience of neonatal care also inspired the focus of her doctoral research, which explored ways to support parents experiencing trauma during their baby’s admission to a neonatal unit.

Victoria said: “Being in the neonatal unit can be a traumatic experience. Watching your baby go through procedures and then having to go home every evening without them can be really traumatic.”

Victoria’s PhD examined interventions aimed at reducing symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. Her study compared the use of the butterfly hug and safe calm place techniques with playing the computer game Tetris to assess whether they were feasible tools for parents in neonatal units.

The butterfly hug technique involves crossing the arms so each hand rests on the opposite collarbone before gently tapping for 30 to 40 seconds while focusing on a place associated with feelings of safety and calm.

The approach aims to reduce the emotional intensity attached to traumatic memories and potentially lessen symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress.

The research contributes to a growing understanding of the emotional impact neonatal care can have on families and highlights the importance of supporting parents alongside their babies throughout their neonatal journey.

Despite her academic success, Victoria says the most rewarding aspect of her role remains seeing the little ones she has cared for as they thrive and grow up.

“The most rewarding part is seeing babies when they come up after a clinical appointment, and you see how well they have come on and how big they have grown. It just makes you feel a great sense of job satisfaction that it was a job well done.”

Congratulating Victoria on her achievement, Shirley Montgomery, Lead Paediatric Nurse, said: “We are all immensely proud of Victoria – her dedication and commitment truly stand out, and her passion for neonatal care is clearly reflected in her work.

“Victoria’s personal experience, combined with her professional expertise and academic achievement, enables her to make an invaluable contribution to the care and support provided to babies and families within our neonatal services.”