Med students knit baby woollies

In Dunedin Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, University of Otago medical students (from...
In Dunedin Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, University of Otago medical students (from left) Jennifer Randle (20) and Emma Wolff (22) hand over some newly knitted woollen goodies to baby Hugh Newton, and his mother Sarah, of Oamaru. Photo by...

Some of the South's most vulnerable babies will be kept warm thanks to blankets knitted by University of Otago medical students.

For the past several months, more than 100 students have been using their spare time to knit items - including blankets - to give to Dunedin Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit and yesterday they handed them over to the ward.

Third-year medical student Jennifer Randle, co-organiser of this year's initiative with fellow students Emma Wolff and Juliet Whittaker, said they had also raised $2100 at Highlanders games to give to the ward.

''We wanted the chance to give back to the Dunedin community. They are a very important part of our education and many people give up their time to help us, so we wanted use some of our time to help out as well,'' Ms Randle said.

There was a bit of a learning curve for some of the students.

''We had some very unique interpretations of knitting stitches and some people even managed to create some new, if slightly dubious, ones of their own.''

This was partly why the focus was on blankets, as they were easier for beginners to knit than booties and hats.

In the end, the group managed to make 31 blankets, 45 hats, 15 pairs of booties and six cardigans.

Dunedin Hospital Nicu charge nurse manager Jan Seuseu said the ward was hugely grateful.

''Their efforts are amazing and very much appreciated by the families of the babies that are in Nicu.''

The funds would be used to buy a specialised infant resuscitator and a device to monitor sound levels in the unit. Sarah Newton, of Oamaru, who was given some woollen items for her 12-day-old son, Hugh, by the students yesterday, said the blankets would be useful as some babies had trouble keeping their temperatures up.

''They are beautiful. The details are stunning,'' she said.

vaughan.elder@odt.co.nz

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