Premmie baby Finley thriving in Caboolture Hospital’s new Neonatal Unit
Mum Clare and Baby Finley in the new Neonatal Unit rooming-in room
Caboolture parents Clare and Josh are feeling incredibly grateful to be closer to home with their newborn son after months of travelling back and forth to Brisbane.
Baby Finley Maximus was born at just 29 weeks on 28 July at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), after Clare went into early labour.
Finley spent more than six weeks receiving respiratory support on CPAP and a further three weeks on high-flow oxygen as his lungs continued to develop.
He was then transferred to Caboolture Hospital’s new Neonatal Unit rooming-in rooms, bringing him just around the corner from home.
“We don’t have family here, they’re all in Sydney—so it’s just us. To now have support so close to home means everything,” Clare said.
Finley’s arrival in the new unit comes shortly after a significant milestone for the Caboolture Hospital community.
On 14 October 2025, Caboolture Hospital officially opened its new Neonatal Unit—now four times the footprint of the previous facility and purpose-built to provide specialised care for unwell and premature babies.
The upgraded unit features:
- 3 single isolation rooms for enhanced infection control and privacy
- A state-of-the-art procedure room equipped with the latest technology
- Switchable privacy glass between high-dependency bays and isolation rooms
- Dedicated reception and family waiting areas
- 2 new rooming-in rooms to support step-down care and bonding
- Updated medical equipment
- Space designed to promote family-centred care, allowing parents to stay close to their newborns
Finley’s move back to Caboolture supported a new stage of his care – transitioning off high-flow oxygen and beginning breastfeeding.
“Establishing feeds was hard, so we were grateful to be at the hospital,” Clare said.
“The nurses are amazing and right there when we need them. Even when I called at 5am for help to get him to latch and they had so many tips and tricks.”
Transferring Finley to Caboolture Neonatal Unit also eased the pressure on the family significantly.
“My car was broken at the time, so I was getting public transport between Caboolture and Brisbane every day,” Clare said.
“Finley’s dad was struggling to see him due to work commitments, but being at Caboolture, he could see our son a lot more.”
The extra space, privacy and modern facilities in the new Neonatal Unit allows families to be more involved in their baby’s daily care and provides for more meaningful bonding time, transforming what can often be a traumatic experience into a supported and family-centred care journey.