THESE hospital nurses are enjoying some unlikely support with premature babies – from cute creatures.

The neonatal unit at Poole Hospital has been inundated with donations of crocheted octopuses thanks to kind-hearted Daily Echo readers.

An appeal was launched after research showed the tentacles of a crocheted octopus remind babies of the umbilical cord in their mother’s womb, making them feel safe.

And now the cuddly creatures are helping sooth the tiny babies taking on the biggest battles of their lives after being born prematurely.

Already dozens have been donated to the ward from across the country.

Daniel Lockyer, neonatal services matron, said: “It’s amazing to see how much the local community support our work. After we featured in the Echo we received lots more octopuses and were contacted by people from across the country who wanted to help. We are so grateful for every special handmade octopus we receive and our babies seem to like them too!”

The unique idea comes from Denmark where specialists said babies who snuggled the tentacles of the octopus had better breathing, more regular heartbeats and higher levels of oxygen in their blood. They were also less likely to try to pull out their monitors and tubes.

The hospital say they hope people will continue to crochet the creatures so every premature baby can have one to cuddle. Each baby is given its own octopus to take home as a keepsake of their time with the team. The hospital has urged people to crochet the octopuses in cotton so they can be washed at 60 degrees for hygiene reasons and that tentacles are 22cm or less due to safety.

They can be donated at the maternity unit reception and at the hospital entrance. For the pattern, go to http://mynomadhome.com/octopus-for-a-preemie-osmiorniczka-dla-wczesniaka/