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New recliners for Christchurch Neonatal Unit

The Little Miracles Trust were proud to present 6 brand new recliner chairs to the Christchurch Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) thanks to Alicia Gainsford and her niece Lilly.

Alicia spent months organising ‘A Night out for Neonatal’ after her niece Lilly was born at 30 weeks, weighing 910gms.  During Lilly’s neonatal journey, Alicia spent many, many hours in the NICU unit watching her niece fight to surviveA Night out for Neonatal_Lilly.jpgand grow and watched many parents including her own family go through the many emotions involved in a neonatal journey. She heard parents discuss the lack of comfortable chairs in the unit, referenced to the recliner chairs that parents can rest on and use for kangaroo cuddles with their babies. 

Alicia then made two promises to Lilly – when she had her blood transfusion she promised she would start donating blood which she has, and secondly that she would find a way to ensure as many parents as possible would have a comfortable and suitable chair for their long, hard days in the unit.

A Night Out for Neonatal raised more than $43,000 over the course of the evening, which was held at Addington Raceway.  Those who attended enjoyed an evening of dinner, live auctions and listened to some great stories and banter from rugby commentator Grant Nisbett all while supporting an incredible cause and Alicia’s promise to Lilly was then fulfilled.  

The new chairs, made in Motueka, feature swivel castors for ease of movement around NICU.  The chairs are made from a hospital grade, hard wearing vinyl  which can easily cleaned to ensure optimum hygiene and therefore reduce the chances of a baby picking up bugs and infections and are easy to put into recliner position.  This is particularly important for women who have just given birth, especially if they have had a caesarean or a difficult birth.

Neonatal Nurse Manager Debbie O’Donoghue said “We are very grateful to Alicia for making a difficult time that bit easier for families”A Night out for Neonatal.jpg

The funds raised saw an initial 6 chairs donated to the unit immediately with another 12 more to be ordered as needed.  Further, a donation was made to support the neonatal research of Dr Max Berry and her team.  

Pictured  (L to R): The Little Miracles Trust representatives, Justine Brooker & Sally Gregory, Neonatal Nurse Manager Debbie O’Donoghue and Alicia Gainsford (seated) 

 

KANGAROO CUDDLES

Kangaroo cuddling (skin-to-skin cuddles) is great for both parents and their babies. Babies generally improve when they’re being held by their parents and multiple studies have proven that it has a number of benefits for parents and forKangaroo Cuddles resourcebabies including:

  • Fewer breathing problems
  • Faster weight gain
  • Less energy-wasting fidgeting
  • A more constant body temperature

To learn more about Kangaroo Cuddles, head to this page. (Our Support resource available here as a PDF)

 

THANKS!

Thanks to Alicia and all the sponsors and attendees of A Night Out for Neonatal.  Your support will enable us to help make a difficult start to life that little bit easier for neonatal families.  

Thanks.jpg

 

Thanks so much for sharing your personal story!

We get a lot of positive feedback from families in a neonatal unit who read these stories and feel strength, hope and positivity knowing that they are not alone going through these experiences and feeling certain emotions.

If you would like to discuss sharing the story of your neonatal journey, we’d love to hear from you.

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If you want to help our support of families going through the stress and anxiety of a neonatal journey, you can donate via the link below.

  • The Little Miracles Trust provides support to families of premature or sick full-term babies as they make their journey through Neonatal Intensive Care, the transition home, and onwards. We do not receive any Government funding and are entirely reliant on the generosity of individuals, companies and organisations in the form of donations, value-in-kind donations, grants, sponsorship and fundraising events to supplement operating costs and fund our services and initiatives.
  • As we are a registered charity (CC56619) with Charities Services New Zealand we will send you an IRD compliant tax receipt – this will happen automatically by return email.
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