The Miracle Babies Foundation is Australia’s leading organisation supporting premature and sick newborns, their families, and the hospitals that care for them.
Each year, more than 48,000 babies require specialised care.
Moorebank Sports Club has been a supporter of the Foundation for many years, especially through their NurtureTime sessions at Liverpool Hospital.
NurtureTime is an in-hospital support program facilitated by caring parents who have themselves experienced the birth of a premature or sick newborn. It allows current NICU families the opportunity to speak to past parents about overcoming challenges they may be facing.
This is the heading
Qualified NurtureTime volunteers visit the hospital to offer support, guidance, and hope, while parents, family and friends can ask questions, and share their thoughts and feelings, knowing the volunteer has a shared experience.
Moorebank Sports has provided funding through ClubGRANTS to assist with the delivery of NurtureTime sessions each week for families with premature or sick babies at Liverpool Hospital.
Over the past 10 months, that funding has been used to support 450 families.
Miracle Babies CEO Kylie Pussell says the program was launched at Liverpool Hospital in 2007 and has been so successful, it is now globally recognised within the Neonatal field.
“Families can face a range of challenges during a NICU journey with a premature or sick baby. Fear, guilt, isolation, loneliness, financial stress, just to name a few. Parents of an extreme premature baby are two-and-a-half times more likely to suffer post-natal depression, while depression and anxiety are also heightened”.
“NurtureTime provides hope and reassurance for families who are feeling scared, overwhelmed, and uncertain of what may come. Peer support in the NICU provides comfort through speaking with someone who has ‘walked in their shoes’.
“They feel less alone, have more confidence to cope with the overwhelming NICU experience and can find ways to bond, and be involved in their baby’s care, which can be difficult with a baby under the constant care of doctors and nurses”.
Moorebank Sports CEO, Jeff Gibbs, says the club has supported the NurtureTime program at Liverpool Hospital for three years, allowing for a more intensive delivery of the peer-to-peer support.
“This is such an important cause to support. Every year in Australia, around 48,000 newborn babies require the help of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or Special Care Nursery. This can be an incredibly overwhelming and traumatic time for these families”.
“Sporties is committed to supporting our community and we want to ensure that any family that finds themselves in a situation like this in our local area has access to the help and guidance they need to navigate through such a stressful time”.
Should you or someone close to you require assistance, Miracle Babies is always available to offer support.
Reach out to their 24-hour NurtureLine on 1300 622 243. Further support resources can be found here.
Additionally, general information can be found here.
If you would like to support the Miracle Babies Foundation. Explore the many ways you can make a difference here.
Follow Miracle Babies on Facebook by clicking the icon below
Facebook