Neonatal care support group to help parents

Otago Neonatal Trust chairwoman Debbie Sinclair admires Mama Taana's twin babies Liam (left) and Cezelia Costello. The twins weighed just 810g and 710g respectively when they were born by emergency Caesarean section at 25 weeks' and three days' gestation. They have spent more than 14 weeks in Dunedin Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. Photo by Jane Dawber.

Having a child in the neonatal unit was something "you never forget", mother-of-three and chairwoman of the Otago Neonatal Trust Debbie Sinclair said.

"There are not a lot of people that really understand what you have been through, unless they have been through it too. It's quite life-changing, really."

Before the trust was established, towards the end of last year, there had been no support group for parents who had either premature babies, or full-term babies who came to the unit for extra care and monitoring.

The trust's main aim was to provide support for families by doing regular ward visits, having a morning tea at the unit twice a month and offering support once people were at home.

"[For example] we have volunteers up in Central Otago that can pick up a telephone to call and say: `Welcome home. Is there anything we can do to help you?"'

Plans for the trust also include fundraising to support the unit by buying equipment they might need, such as new chairs, beds or monitors.

Neonatal unit charge nurse manager Jan Seuseu said support offered to families in the unit meant a lot to them.

"Some of the families can be here up to three months. It is a long time. They see their babies going up and down, and having someone to talk through it, that has been through all that already, is just tremendous."

Many parents, once they left the unit, asked what they could do to help others, she said.

Mrs Sinclair said she joined the trust because the "amazing staff" in the unit had given her family so much after her son, Andrew, was born 10 weeks premature, about four years ago.

Andrew weighed 1.2kg when he was born by emergency Caesarean section at 30 weeks' gestation and was in the unit for more than eight weeks.

Her days consisted of getting her other two children off to school or daycare, seeing her husband off to work, and then going to the hospital to spend "hours and hours" watching her tiny baby and cuddling him when she was allowed to.

"You never in a million years think you are going to get out with your wee bundle of joy."

Anybody who would like to contact the trust for support, or "ex-NICU" parents who are interested in volunteering their help can contact Mrs Sinclair at:dunedin@neonataltrust.co.nz.

The charitable trust will be officially launched in March, and is part of a national network that was first established in Wellington several years ago.

edith.schofield@odt.co.nz