Lots of love for lots of little people

As you know our hospital Hotties is high risk so we have many preemie babies. 
They are so tiny, they look like ancient little monkeys fighting to survive. I feel for those moms who sit day in and day out pumping milk, waiting patiently before they can kanga care them and waiting some more before they can go home with their 1.8 kg baby. 
They have a TV in the room and magazines I leave them.  They also have the fridge, kettle and microwave now and the tea & coffee supplies we leave them. They sleep on sleeper couches which are rather grotty and uncomfy.  Maria is trying to help us to get them cleaned and re-stuffed.

Melissa’s treats help to fill tummies but I know the mothers are despondent, worried about their babies and desperate to get home to their other kids. I don’t know how else to make their lives easier? 
Maybe I must get a laundromat to sponsor their laundry so I can collect it for them and return fresh clean clothes. 
Any other ideas to keep spirits up?  I am also looking for someone who would put together a little info pack for them on how to cope with their prem babies.  Maybe I could put that person’s details on my blog and those with tips to share could mail that person so they could compile it all?
I want to do the same for stillbirth moms. I really don’t have the time to sort through myself plus I don’t have any experience with prem babies.   I also haven’t had the agony of losing a baby at birth so would love to give them something to help from mothers who truly do understand their pain and grief.

On Sunday we had 3 preemie moms come to church.  The little 750 gram girl died later that day and I feel so sad for the mom.  She had been crying since the birth and we were all praying for her and trying to stay positive.  I can only imagine how angry she must feel at God and the whole world right now.   God loves her, this I know for sure and He will make it known to her. He also understands when we are furious with Him, He has broad shoulders!

On a positive note…… I received the most exquisite parcel the other day from SA Preemies and Belinda Knott from Little Bee.  Thanks so much for the beautiful minute little clothes, they are so tiny and so perfect, just like our babies.  I have posted 2 pics of the clothing as well as a kangamom and a preemie babe.  If anyone has unwanted preemie related goods please keep for us or give to the kanga unit at your local state hospital.  Try and make sure you leave it directly in their hands because of the whole theft problem we deal with.
I forgot to thank Aunty Nina the other day for a whole bunch of onesies / vests from Taiwan.   Thanks sista!
Thanks to Gwyneth from the Strand who dropped off some new outfits and is happy to have an excuse to buy cute little outfits.
Oh, and Nikki & Phillip who have just adopted a gorg baby girl called Jemma.  She gave us heaps of lovely baby clothes.  Colette almost wet her pants when she unpacked it all! Keep it coming!!!

Comments

[Elaine]

Mel, I am sending you an email about putting some info together. Have been wondering what I could do to help so would really appreciate the opportunity.

[Jennifer]

What gestation was that poor little peanut born at? He is so tiny. My 11 month old son was born 2 months early and weighed 4lbs. I am currently pregnant(24 weeks)and at high risk for another early baby..

[Nola]

There's a lot of hope for those little mites. My son was born 9 weeks early and weighed 1.5 kgs. He's now a strapping big 65 kg 14 year old.

The best advise I can give is to have as much skin to skin contact and talk to the baby as much as possible. Every time I held his hand and spoke to him, his blood oxygen levels would rise right before our eyes. I tried the pumping for weeks but was never successful and eventually went the soya formula route which gave me years of guilt. I've since got over that now that he's as good as (if not beeter) than a lot of his peers at both sport and academics. He did have ADD in prep school which caused me a lot of anxiety with his schooling, but since he's been in high school he's a different child (almost man).

You're doing wonderful work - keep it up.

[angel]

wow mel... that little tyke is minute... i wouldn't know what to do with such a tiny baby!
you are all truly doing marvellous work mel- you're in my prayers!

[Fi]

Hi Mel,
I'm not sure if this is helpful, but do you know a scrapbooking group? Or some keen scrappers that want to get together regularly.
My good friend lost one of her premmie twins, and she started a group of us making small albums for parents to put pictures and momentos of their little ones who have died. We have one page for details - date of birth, weight, hair colour etc - a page for a little footprint and maybe a lock of hair and a few pages for pictures. My friend writes something sweet in each one and we give them to the hopsital to use. They are just little albums - we make them with cardboard, and we all contribute paper from our 'stash'. I don't actually scrap much, but my friend is very creative and she has designed the books so that we can all just copy-cat.
My friend was given some photos of her daughter taken by the hopital in a re-used envelope, and she found that upsetting.They are such precious pictures.
I'm guessing as I write this that your hopital might not take pictures, so maybe it's not helpful after all.
I'm praying for all of you who work at Bosum Buddies. It's awesome to be God's hands.
~Fi.

[Sue at nobaddays]

Hi Mel - do you have someone to do the writing/editing for the preemie and stillbirth booklets?

I'm a professional writer by trade and have been thinking about ways to help ever since I blogged about BB: http://nobaddays.wordpress.com/2006/12/15/on-the-second-day-of-christmas-two-sisters-blogging-for-a-great-cause/

I can write, edit and desktop publish the booklets for you if you provide the basic content (I know nothing about caring for preemie babies or having still births).

Since I'm on the other side of the world (!), I can just send you PDF files. All you'd need to do is print and photocopy them. Or find someone else do it ;-)