When expectant mum Bryony Ares went into labour three months early with her twin boys at Bath's RUH, she was told that there was no room for them at its Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit.

The nearest hospital that could offer the specialist care that her sons,Theo and Felix, would need on delivery was at Swansea.

Multiple births have a higher chance of arriving prematurely, but the current NICU ward does not have the space to store vital equipment, which can cater for every situation.

"I actually went into labour and got transferred down to the delivery suite, and they said there were no incubators," said Mrs Ares, 28, who lives with her husband in Bath.

This means that some expectant mothers have to travel miles in order to get the specialist care their babies need.

Mrs Ares' transfer from Bath RUH to Swansea hospital took two-and-a-half hours in the ambulance, which her anguished husband followed in his car.

"I was screaming with contractions," said Mrs Ares. "It was so stressful, not just the fact that I was in labour with twins but they were so early.

"It was absolutely terrifying. There was even talk of going to Newcastle at one point."

Sister Sarah Goodwin said that because of the specialist equipment needed for the immediate care for premature babies on birth, it would have been disastrous if the boys had been delivered in the ambulance.

Theo and Felix spent two weeks in Swansea's neo-natal unit in May, and they are now back in Bath and making healthy progress.

Mrs Ares has nothing but praise for the staff on the NICU, but said that the current cramped conditions on the ward have made her stay difficult.

"Bath have been great since we got back here but a situation shouldn't arise where you don't have the facilities," she said.

"It's a stressful environment to be in, not having privacy and time to spend with your babies, and trying not to encroach on other people's space.

"It's hard trying to establish a bond."

Ruth Presswood is also familiar with the shortage of space at the NICU. Her son Toby was born on May 15 at 28 weeks weighing just 2lb 10oz.

She said: "It's a little cramped at times. I'm trying to establish breast feeding and sometimes there's other parents and babies, so not much privacy."

The 27-year-old first time mum was unaware she was in labour, and 30 minutes after arriving at Bath RUH, Toby was born.

Mrs Presswood, who lives with husband Tom in Bath, said: "The general experience is one I wish to never experience again but I can't fault the staff at all."

Mrs Ares and Mrs Presswood have given the Space to Grow campaign their full support and hope that telling their stories will encourage people to raise money for it.

"It's just about using the boys' photos and spreading the word," said Mrs Ares. "I'd hate anyone to go through what we went through. You never know, it might be that one of our boys ends up having children of their own here."