Premmie Families Giving Back

Featured site www.lilaussieprems.com.au

There are 1000’s of families who have experienced the NICU & SCN hospital journey around Australia after giving birth prematurely. The hospitals are a savour not only to our children but also to the families.

The medical teams create miracles everyday saving our premmie babies and even some born as early as 22 weeks. Their dedication and passion shines through our childrens smiles and laughter.

As a community of families touched by the premature journey we want to give back to hospitals around Australia to say thanks starting in 2010. The community here at L’il Aussie Prems are very excited to announce that once a year we will be collecting gifts from around Australia to send to one hospital chosen by the public. Each year a different hospital will be chosen to spread the good will from families. We enourage families of premature babies and the public to join with us in “giving back”.

Please vote in our poll currently on the website for your chosen hospital. The list of hospitals have been chosen by our members and will be rotating each year so every hospital will benefit.

Please feel free to join the forum and let us know what you would like to donate. You can donate books for families to read to their babies whilst in hospital, if you are crafty you can create name tags for each baby, sew or knit, the list is endless.

The poll will be visable on the website for a period of 3 months. We will be updating this page as details come to light so be sure to keep checking back.

for more information… please go to www.lilaussieprems.com.au

At La Toriana we have one of the largest and most stylish, affordable collection of premmie baby clothing, premature baby gifts and keepsakes available to buy online. If you have a baby born early, or are a friend/family looking to give a premmie baby gift… contact me and I can helpWe showcase great Australian and New Zealand designers as well as neonatal and NICU appropriate baby clothing as well as organic premmie clothes and accessories.  Checkout our vast range of premmie wear and newborn baby items in our secure online baby boutique.  If you are looking for a  premmie baby keepsake doll, or organic baby wear for a bub that has been born prematurely, then you have come to the right online store.  La Toriana specialise in providing great quality, stylish and affordable designer label products for low weight babies and babies born early. 

Jordan

  Bianca’s story   

My journey on this road to discovery, began early in 2001, when I found out that I was pregnant with my first child!  Like all expectant parents we were very excited.  I did all the right things, no soft cheese, no caffeine, no deli meats, no, no, no!

Everything appeared to be going fine, but on the 1^st of December at 6:55am, I received the most precious gift, albeit a little early!  Jordan Nicholas entered the world just under 7 weeks early, weighing 4lb 15oz (2230g)!  Fortunately, only a week or two prior to Jordan’s birth a new mother came to speak at our ante natal class, who had a baby born at 32 weeks gestation as well, so I was able to take strength from her story.  One of the things that rang true from her story to mine, was the day I left hospital without my baby!  She had said that the hardest thing that she experienced was leaving the hospital without her baby.  Right up until I left the hospital I was adamant that it was a good thing that the baby was staying behind, the hospital could provide the right care for him and it would give me time, in the ensuing weeks to properly prepare to bring a baby home!  Well, I did not think that you could feel so much pain and trauma, in removing yourself from such a small little baby, but I cried and cried!  I left my baby and my heart in that special care nursery!

After 3 weeks of expressing and keeping a constant vigil by my babies bedside from 6:30am to 6:30 pm (I may as well have been paid staff!), we were finally lucky enough to bring our baby home!  It was so exciting, daunting and mind blowingly amazing, it felt like Christmas morning everyday!

As time went on, my baby boy grew, he had a few small hiccups along the way, a couple of operations for ingrainal hernia’s, but was strong and determined.  As soon as he could roll, he was off.

Two months after my baby’s first birthday we found out that I was pregnant with our second child.  For some reason I knew that this time I would go early, but expected it to only be a month early!  Unfortunately at 25 weeks gestation I was in labour and sent to Melbourne.  I was optimistic, but did cry as I told my Husband on the phone what was going to happen.  I remained as calm as possible and told the midwives on the way out of the hospital that I would be back at 28 weeks and then 32 weeks and all would be well.  Fortunately or unfortunately I did make it past 25 weeks, but not past 28!  On Saturday the 26^th of July 2003, I again was in labour, my waters broke and a transfer was not an option.  My second baby boy was born breach by natural delivery on the Theatre table at 3:35pm!  He weighed 1120g (2lb 11oz), had an Apgar of 1 at 5 mins, which increased to 4 at 10 minutes!  He was one very sick little boy, but again, I was so proud, I thought that my heart would jump out of my chest!  The only times that I saw him on that day were, as they pulled one of his legs from me and then passed him to the waiting paediatric team, when they wheeled me to the Special Care Unit, where all I saw was medical people standing around a flat bed with lights.  My midwife, Rosie, gave me two photos that they had taken of my baby boy, even black and blue from the waist down I thought he was the most beautiful baby in the world!  I saw him for the final time, that night at around 9:30pm, where I was able to look at him and touch his precious little hand, through a perspex womb, just before he was placed into the care of the amazing NETS team who would deliver him safely to Melbourne.  As I was staring at him, in his new little home, we named him Samuel Thomas! 

The hospital stays were not the way that I had expected to bring my babies into the World, but they have taught me so much about my beautiful boys, myself, and the strength that we all carry within us!

When we finally returned home for good, I was fortunate enough to have been provided a fantastic Maternal and Child Health nurse who guided us through the joys of being a mother to prem babies, she also suggested that I attend a new playgroup especially for prem babies that was starting up soon, she assured me that I would love the woman who was starting the group up!  How right she was, the first time that I attended the premmie playgroup, I felt comfortable to be around other families who understood the sadness and happiness of the smallest milestones that many families, with full term babies often take for granted, like moving from a humidicrib to at ‘big bed’, graduating from gavage feeds to full bottle or breast feeds, and rooming in just before you get to take your baby home!!!

As time moved on, as it does, I become friends with Amanda, who set the group up and offered to help out in any way I could.  A stronger, more determined woman, you would be hard pressed to find, she became my mentor and dear friend, as we worked together to build Loddon Mallee Kids.  I am so lucky to have been able to work with and learn from one of life’s gems!

Today Loddon Mallee Kids, makes weekly visits to the Special Care Nurseries at  Bendigo hospitals’, has a weekly playgroup and is a founding member of the National Premmie Foundation.

 For more information please contact; 1300 prembaby or follow the links from www.prembaby.org.au

Loddon Mallee Kids is a not for profit parent support charity for people who have premature or sick children.  LMK runs weekly playgroup sessions for parents to chat with others who have had premature or sick children in hospital, to ensure that support for these families continues long after the children have ‘graduated’ from hospital.  LMK also does weekly hospital visits offering the opportunity for parents to speak with others who have been through the premature journey.  Parent gift packs are given to all families who have children in the Special Care Baby Units at Bendigo Health and Saint John of God hospitals, providing valuable information for parents who struggle to come to terms with the journey that they embark on.  LMK is a founding member of the National Premmie Foundation.

10 % of all sales from the premmie baby catagory at www.LaToriana.com.au will go directly to Loddon Mallee Kids and also  National Premmie Foundation til end of July.

Thanks Bianca for sharing.  I can personally vouch for the amazing work Amanda and Bianca have done with Loddon Malle Kids, and I feel extreemly lucky to be able to support and volunteer to help an amazing group.  Please jump onto both the above websites in support.

Warmly

Elizabeth xx

 Have you seen us on facebook? why not follow us!

La Toriana’s Profile
          

At La Toriana we have a passion for kids fashion.

Our labels include, Alimrose, annieB, Lambykins, Fairy Floss Creations, Eternal Creation, Vanchi, TikiBoo Kids, Little Pearls for Little Girls, Tea Princess, Three Little trees, Tummbear, babyjo bamboo baby wear, nest organics, early birds premature baby clothes, teeny weeny premmie baby wear, Oopsidaisi, boxy design, anamalz, Briit design, Bump buddy, cheeky little soles, Sounds for silence, Deshabille, eco peko, fINNIGAN fINN, gertie and me, Hey baby, huggalugs, i candy, lazybones, locolili, miniwhisk, mon tresor, nana huchy, nanny pickle, OOBI baby, penny scallan, Tabitha Emma, Tippie Toes, Princess ratbag, Alannah Rose stationary, Vintage Kid, Wild Things of Noosa and so many more!

We have the best online collection of premmie baby clothing, premature baby gifts and keepsakes too.  We showcase great Australian and New Zealand designers as well as neonatal and NICU appropiate baby clothing as well as organic premmie clothes and accessories.  Checkout our vast range of premmie wear and newborn baby items in our secure online baby boutique.  If you are looking for a baby that has been born prematurely, then you ahve come to the right online store.  La Toriana specialise in providing great quality, stylish and affordable designer leabel products for low weight babies and babies born early.

Molly-Rose,

our true little miracle

 (story by Shus, Mollys mum)

Molly-Rose was born on the 5^th February 2003 at 25 weeks (3 months early). 

We started IVF in August 2002, keeping a very positive and open mind as we knew it could possibly be a long road.  We took the normal course of drugs and then came the big day, they put two little embryos back and we all prayed hard for a positive result.  What happened next caught everyone off guard.  For some unknown reason I had a rare reaction to the drugs and ended up in ICU at Epworth hospital, with severe hyper-stimulation, my right lung had collapsed then my left lung partially collapsed.  My stomach had also started retaining fluid.  Throughout the next 8 weeks in hospital I underwent numerous procedures to drain litres of fluid from my lungs and stomach and had grown so big.  I was told I had a high chance of not keeping the pregnancy.

Finally after 2 mths I was released from hospital and had a wonderful few months, with continuous scans and tests and at every one, bub was still there, growing bigger every day, proving them wrong.  I willed her on with all my strength.  Then at 20 weeks the haemorrhaging started and I ended up in hospital for the remainder of the pregnancy.  Five weeks later at 25 weeks Molly-Rose decided she would join us and at 8.20pm on Wednesday 5^th Feb 2003 she was born weighing 880grams (less then a pound of butter), no bigger then my hand, amidst quite a commotion at Cabrini hospital.  The NETS ambulance arrived very shortly after and she was whisked away to the Royal Women’s Hospital.  My lasting memory of that was seeing this tiny little face peering out from a mass of bubble wrap tucked up inside an incubator.  I followed with my Hubbie driving the car, I don’t think either of us really understood what had just happened, we were in a sort of limbo.  Did I just give birth?

When we arrived at the RWH they took us to the Neonatal Intensive Care ward (NICU), and so began our fast track introduction to a whole different world.  A world of beeps and humming machines, good days and bad.  You soon learnt a good beep from a bad beep.  The NICU became a new home for us, the nursing staff our new family.   It took me 15 mins before I could approach Molly-Rose’s incubator, all I could see at first was a lot of tubes and wires, then somewhere under them all I made out the tiny form of our little baby girl.  My heart broke, what had I done, how could I let this happen, I kept saying sorry over and over again.  It was late and the blue glow from the lights on the baby next to us lit the area we were in.  The next 24hrs were critical for her and we sat by her all night, praying god would let our little girl live and give her the strength to battle this. 

Molly-Rose was in hospital for a total of 117 days (4 months), it was a mixed bag of ups and downs, good days and bad days, days when you couldn’t see that light at the end of the tunnel and days when it was quite clear.  In those fours months we went forward a few steps then back a few steps, then forward again. She had chronic lung disease, which was making it a little difficult for her to get off her breathing machine (CPAP), we had a few attempts then after 43 days it happened.  A wonderful day for us, then came the count down to her coming off oxygen, she’d become an “oxygen junkie”!!.  She caught golden staph twice, the first time she was very ill and we had her christened in the Incubator, the second time it was caught early.  The usual blood transfusions, heel pricks and IVs. She had ROP stage 3(eye disaese) and then developed haemorrhaging behind the right eye, which lasted for weeks, at one stage we were told she might lose her sight in it.  She was a terrible feeder, we would get so far and then end up back on a continuous feed drip, but finally after lots of perseverance from the staff we got the mls up, this meant she was very slow to put on weight, though to this day food is definitely not the centre of Molly-Rose’s world.  I will never forget the first time I got to hold her when she was 2 weeks old, an amazing feeling of love and admiration for this little person filled me.  Every little feature so tiny, except for two big blue eyes that spoke volumes to me. People asked how we coped, I told them that we drew our strength from her each day, as we watched with such admiration as she battled the odds, if she could do this we certainly could.  She was one month corrected when we finally took her home on the 4th June 2003 weighing 2656 grams.  The day we left was one filled with absolute joy, excitement and nerves, we’d always had someone around to guide us, from now on it was just the three of us, a family at last.  We stood at the entrance of the hospital door as we left, took one deep breath of fresh air and walked on into our new life together.

Since leaving we have spent a lot of time back and forth to the Royal Childerns Hospital, she has been back in hospital twice for respiratory issues and ended up back on oxygen for a while at home when she was younger but we did our best to get over each hurdle and move on.  We can never thank enough the staff from the Royal Womens Hospital and the staff at Frances Perry House where she spent time in the special care nursery, without their fantastic work and marvellous support I don’t know how we would have got through.  They are all our angels and we can never thank them enough.  The other prem mums I have made good friends with since leaving have been a great source of strength for me and I thank them all, they are a wonderful group of strong women, who all have amazing stories of their own to tell.  It was these great friendships and encouragement from the RWH that spurred us on to start Lifes Little Treasures (www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au) for parents like us, along with our online support partner

L’il Aussie Prems, we aim to assist as many families as we can.  We don’t want any parent to have to go through this experience alone.

Molly-Rose has grown into a most wonderful little human being, she is very active and social, always eager to discover her surroundings and meet new people, and she is now 6 years old and weighs 14 kilos.  She has just started school & loves it.  To watch her walk around as she busily gets on with her day is a constant source of enjoyment to me; I’m never far from a tear of Joy. 

Shusannah
Vice President
Lifes Little Treasures Inc
“Supporting families of premature babies”
Web: http:// www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

 Thank you so much for sharing your amazing story.  What a rollercoaster ride for you and those around you.  Your website is full of great support and news and a must for family and friends looking for ways to support those around them through the journey of the birth of a premature baby.

Warmly

Elizabeth xx

 Have you seen us on facebook? why not follow us!

La Toriana’s Profile
          

At La Toriana we have a passion for kids fashion.

Our labels include, Alimrose, annieB, Lambykins, Fairy Floss Creations, Eternal Creation, Vanchi, TikiBoo Kids, Little Pearls for Little Girls, Tea Princess, Three Little trees, Tummbear, babyjo bamboo baby wear, nest organics, early birds premature baby clothes, teeny weeny premmie baby wear, Oopsidaisi, boxy design, anamalz, Briit design, Bump buddy, cheeky little soles, Sounds for silence, Deshabille, eco peko, fINNIGAN fINN, gertie and me, Hey baby, huggalugs, i candy, lazybones, locolili, miniwhisk, mon tresor, nana huchy, nanny pickle, OOBI baby, penny scallan, Tabitha Emma, Tippie Toes, Princess ratbag, Alannah Rose stationary, Vintage Kid, Wild Things of Noosa and so many more!

We have the best online collection of premmie baby clothing, premature baby gifts and keepsakes too.  We showcase great Australian and New Zealand designers as well as neonatal and NICU appropiate baby clothing as well as organic premmie clothes and accessories.  Checkout our vast range of premmie wear and newborn baby items in our secure online baby boutique.  If you are looking for a baby that has been born prematurely, then you ahve come to the right online store.  La Toriana specialise in providing great quality, stylish and affordable designer leabel products for low weight babies and babies born early.

La Toriana introduces “The Zaky”

Ergonomic & award-winning bonding, therapeutic, comforting, positioning aid, as well as transitional item.

It is a soft but heavy pillow that imitates the look, feel, weight, scent, and warmth of the parents’ hand and forearm. It assures proper positioning, helps with pain management and sleep, provides a sense of protection, and assists with the physical and psychological development of the child.

The Zaky is a must have for healthy newborns and for those children that are ill or hospitalised. It is also a favourite newborn baby gift, baby shower gift and a “Thank you” gift given by families to the hospitals that cared for their children

Excellent premmie baby comfort pillow, a premmie baby or newborn baby gift.  Avaliable in the most popular cream, a soft pink or a soft blue, and in either a left hand or right hand.

Check out  “The Zaky”

available at La Toriana in December 08… or email me at info@latoriana.com.au to reserve one.

‘you and your baby will be so glad you did.

Warmly

Elizabeth xx