A family whose move to Portugal had to be delayed after their baby was born 11 weeks early have thanked the hospital that cared for her during the most "incredibly challenging time".

Baby Matilde was born at Watford General Hospital in August at 29 weeks and stayed in the care of its neonatal team for 61 days.

Her mother Mafalda said: "They cared for Matilde when she needed them most and supported us as parents through an incredibly challenging and emotional time."

The family has now raised £800 for the unit to show their appreciation.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said the family had been living in the UK for 13 years and had planned to move back to Portugal before Matilde was born.

Instead, she was delivered via emergency caesarean section nearly three months prematurely.

The family, which includes Matilde's father Duarte and her two siblings, have since moved back to Portugal.

The move was only possible when Matilde was feeling better, a hospital spokesperson confirmed.

In the moments Matilde's parents could not be with her due to other family commitments, they used the hospital app that shares overnight updates about sleep and feeding.

Mafalda said: "It was really reassuring for us as parents to have those updates when we couldn't physically be with Matilde.

"The team really save lives of babies but also support and heal parents too.

"We wanted to give something back by raising funds to help the team to continue their amazing work."

Dr Sankara Narayanan, consultant neonatologist, said: "It was a pleasure to look after Matilde, Mafalda and her family.

"It's been a privilege for us to get to know them, and to see baby Matilde get healthy enough to go home to her siblings and family."

Mafalda said: "The neonatal team's care and support means more to us than we can put into words."

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.