HE CAME home from school, beaming with pride as he showed his parents the sticker on his jumper.
Despite being just four years old, Daniel Thomas got his sticker because he can already read in sentences.
Although Daniel is undoubtedly a bright boy, his parents, Susan and Gareth, credit his progress to a ground-breaking project they joined before he was born.
The family took part in the Family Nurse Partnership trial, known as Building Blocks, to help give babies in Hull the best start in life. Based on a US model, it was aimed at young mothers in Hull facing the prospect of parenthood for the first time.
Mrs Thomas, 23, said: "There are a lot of young people having babies around here and it's a shame more don't know about this project.
"It is the best thing we've ever done."
Young first-time mums and their partners were given intensive support during their pregnancy until their child reached their second birthday, with home visits from highly trained nurses.
The aim of the project, run by a research team based at Hull Royal Infirmary, is to ensure babies' health and development is improved by increasing parenting skills and their mothers are given the chance to get jobs or return to education.
Mrs Thomas was invited to take part in the project by her midwife when she was pregnant with Daniel.
She met the nurse assigned to her family about five times before Daniel was born.
The nurse visited their home once a week and then once a fortnight over the next two years.
The couple, who live in Greatfield, east Hull, with Daniel and their one-year-old son Brooklyn, were given advice on parenting, how to encourage Daniel's development, as well as reassurance and support.
Mr Thomas, 28, said: "The nurse used to bring Daniel different toys every week, things that flashed or books for us to read with him, to see how he responded. Daniel grew up around her, really, and he loved her to bits."
When Daniel reached six months, he was able to pass toys from one hand to the other and he spoke his first words at seven months old.
Mrs Thomas said: "The nurse made us feel comfortable. We had been quite nervous about becoming parents because I was only 18.
"I know some people might have been put off, thinking it was about someone judging us, but it wasn't like that.
"She reassured us we were doing everything right and it has given us confidence in ourselves as parents."
The nurse helped the family settle Daniel into a bedtime routine, helped them move from an upstairs, damp flat to a larger family home and supported them until their son's second birthday.
But the benefits to the family did not end there. The early days support meant Daniel was more than ready to start Oldfleet Primary School in east Hull, he loves school and he is embracing learning.
The skills the couple learned in bringing up Daniel are now paying off with their second son, Brooklyn, who is also progressing well.
Mrs Thomas said: "We really notice the difference with Brooklyn because we've only seen a health visitor twice since he was born.
"But we've been able to use the things we learned when Daniel was a baby to help Brooklyn too.
"I do believe there is not enough support out there for certain families and we were lucky to get this. We can't thank them enough, really. We still miss it a bit."
Mr Thomas, a retail assistant at Asda, said having the early support gave him confidence as a first-time dad.
"It has been a great experience," he said.
Mrs Thomas held down two jobs before starting her family and is now preparing to return to education to fulfil her dream of becoming an accountant once her sons are older.
"I would tell people to definitely go for it and take part in a trial if they get the chance.
"Even if they have the support of a big family, it can make a difference because it's extra help from outside."
Shaping the future of women's healthcareBUILDING Blocks is just one of the trials organised by Hull's research team to help shape women's healthcare in the future.
The research team was set up at Hull Royal Infirmary in 2010 and is funded by the Yorkshire and Humber Clinical Research Group.
About 2,500 women like Susan Thomas have already taken part in trials, putting Hull in the top 30 in the country for participation in national research projects in maternity and gynaecology.
The three-strong team is made up of research midwife Helen Bexhell, gynaecological research nurse Kim Mitchelson and gynaecology nurse Helen Brown.
As well as the Family Nurse Partnership project, Hull women are contributing to studies into pain relief for laparoscopic treatment, surgical techniques for prolapses, antenatal screening and the treatment of women with epilepsy during pregnancy and birth.
Ms Bexhell, manager of the obstetrics and gynaecological research department, said: "People think we are testing drugs on pregnant women, but that is not what we are about at all.
"What we do is find out what works to improve the care we give in hospital.
"Once women get the idea of what we are about and it will not harm their baby and will benefit other women, they seem to be flocking to us. They want to tell us about their experiences."
The nurses also encourage women to come to them with ideas for research if they have suggestions on how care can be improved.
Ms Mitchelson said: "This is about making a difference to future care. It is not necessarily going to change what we do for you, but it could change care for women in the future.
"The women taking part in our studies are going to make a difference to those women who come after them.
"It's amazing to think that women coming forward to take part in a trial can lead to improvements in services, not just locally but nationally."
