There's a range of activity happening around New Zealand during the month of February. We've pulled it all together into one overall update......
Every year 1,000 babies pass through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Hamilton. We're commited to supporting these families through the stress and anxiety of thier journey and enhancing the care of their precious babies. Whenever possible we also wish to raise awareness.
For the Waikato NICU, The Neonatal Trust currently offers:
1. Support packs
On arrival to the NICU each family receives a "Welcome to the Unit" Support pack.
2. Equipment support
We've provided a range of support to benefit neonatal families - both directly and indirectly.
An example of a direct example is providing La Z Boy chairs for the comfort of parents during the long hours in the NICU, and for Kangaroo Cuddles.
3. Celebrating special events
To acknoweldge special days such as Mothers Day, Fathers Day, World Prematurity Day and Christmas Day, volunteers put together gift packs to give to each family currently staying in the unit, adding a little cheer to their day. As an example, here's some detail on Neonatal Secret Santa.
4. Walking groups
Join the Waikato walking groups and coffee groups to meet other neonatal parents in the area.
The groups provide a supportive and sharing group for families who have had a premature or sick baby, or who currently have a baby in Waikato NICU - with the benefits of exercise and fresh air…
For more details and for weekly location updates, please join or follow the ‘Tuesday Morning Walking Group Hamilton NZ’ Facebook page, or message Helen for more details. Helen, who is herself the mum of a premature son, is kindly merging our premmie group with an existing group. These walking and coffee groups are not restricted exclusively to premmie parents and families, so feel free to bring along a friend or extended whanau members!
For all details email waikato@neonataltrust.org.nz
The Neonatal Trust (Waikato) is located in Hamilton. To learn more about our activity or contact us regarding volunteering please email waikato@neonataltrust.org.nz
The Neonatal Trust (Waikato) came about in mid-2011 when a group of volunteers, themselves all parents of ‘graduates’ of the Waikato Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), first met to set about establishing a regional trust in the Waikato. Our aim is to do whatever we can to assist families finding themselves in the same highly stressful and emotionally taxing position we ourselves all experienced.
Since becoming established we have worked to create and provide:
Our Goals for The Neonatal Trust (Waikato):
As a newly established charity we have identified, both from our own NICU experiences and through the input of the NICU staff, a list of goals we aim to achieve. These include:
Join us:
We are always looking for members of our local community to join us as board members, special project coordinators and volunteers. If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact us!