Miracle Babies Foundation

New content for Adulthood added to our Nurture E Information Hub. We constantly adding to our Nurture E Information Hub to ensure parents feel confident and empowered. This is our continued commitment to miracle families to fulfil our mission and continue to strive for ‘better, healthier outcomes for newborns and their families challenged by prematurity and sickness.' Last week we added information located in the Adulthood area of our Nurture E. Here is a piece of information on Anxiety and Depression located in our Nurture E Information Hub. Mothers of preterm young adults reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms compared to mothers of term-born young adults. This study emphasized the importance of ongoing support and resources for parents as they navigate the challenges of raising a child born premature into adulthood. Parenting doesn't end when children reach adulthood. The journey continues with its unique set of challenges and emotional complexities. Every parent worries about their child as they move into adulthood. As parents transition into supporting their adult children, they may experience heightened levels of anxiety and depression stemming from their child's early medical history. Engaging in mindfulness practices, seeking professional support through therapy or counselling, and connecting with peer support networks can help parents manage anxiety symptoms and regain a sense of control. A healthy lifestyle can also help you to manage your feelings. - Make sure you exercise regularly. Even a 10-minute short walk can help to improve how you feel. If you have not exercised in a long time, check with your doctor for what is safe. - Cut down on caffeine, which can increase anxiety and alter sleep patterns in some people. Avoid tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks and chocolate, especially after 6pm. - Make healthy eating choices. - Get enough sleep. If you would read the full information available, please click here: https://lnkd.in/gFP4fAeA

The team at Salesforce are gearing up to take on the Salesforce Stairclimb. The Stairclimb takes place in the Sydney office, which is the tallest building in Sydney, standing an impressive 53 stories tall. The Salesforce Tower at 180 George Street is the tallest office building in Sydney at 263m tall which is the length of almost two Sydney Harbour Bridges stacked on top of each other.   Salesforce pioneered the Pledge 1% model where they donate 1% time, 1% product, and 1% profit to improve the world. As part of the Miracle Month of May, the Stairclimb will see around 100 of the Salesforce employees and clients take on 53 flights of stairs on Friday 24th May to raise vital funds for Miracle Babies Foundation, which will help to increase the support we are able to provide families who are challenged by prematurity or sickness. To get behind their event and support fundraising efforts, you can make a donation here: https://lnkd.in/gfvt2Kf5

It's Miracle Month of May! Miracle Month of May is a time to highlight the work of Miracle Babies Foundation and its vital support for premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them. As well as share the stories of Australia's miracles. This year you can make a real difference during Miracle Month of May. Keep reading to find out what is happening! Quadruple Giving Day is on Tuesday 21 May 2023, where all donations made will be Quadrupled for 24 HOURS ONLY! If you've ever wanted to donate to Miracle Babies and help support premature and sick newborns, this is the time to do it. Our WA High Tea is in May! come along and enjoy a delicious High Tea while we hear from families who have leaned on Miracle Babies for support during some of their toughest times. Click here to purchase your tickets today: https://lnkd.in/gsybuZV2 'Move' for Miracles this May in honour of premature and sick newborns. Join your local run happening in your city. Select Miracle Babies Foundation as your chosen charity or create a fundraising page on our website. Click here to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gY5gnbtM Kangaroo Care Awareness Day is a national day of recognition, held on 15 May each year, which also marks the start of our annual Kangaroo-a-thon. The Kangaroo-a-thon encourages NICU and SCN hospital units to participate in a challenge to increase Kangaroo cuddles and promote skin-to-skin contact between babies and families. Click here to find out more and register: https://lnkd.in/gMAEaJzM Let's all work together and help raise awareness and much-needed funds to support more premature and sick newborns and their families this May. To find out more click here to access our blog: https://lnkd.in/gDGThFsw Please also remember that if you need any support, please contact our 24hr family support helpline on 1300 622 243 (1300MBABIES).

We are excited to announce that our newest NurtureGroup is opening in Darwin, NT! Commencing 2nd of May! Miracle Babies Foundation NurtureGroup is a free play and support group for families who have had a child in the NICU and/or Special Care Nursery. We offer a safe and secure environment for children from birth to starting school, who have been challenged by prematurity or sickness in which they can learn and develop through play, whilst offering families ongoing parent support after leaving the safety of a NICU/Special Care Nursery. The details When: Thursdays (fortnightly), 9.30am – 11.30am Where: C3 Church Malak 62 Patterson Street Malak NT 0812 Cost: Attendance for all sessions is free. If you would like to attend Darwin NurtureGroup, please click here to find out more information and to register: https://lnkd.in/gUVEXSBr

Miracle Babies Foundation CEO and CoFounder Kylie Pussell attended the EFCNI - European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants Parent Organisation Summit in Freising, Germany over the weekend. With 120 participants representing over 70 parent organizations from across the globe, the 3-day summit was filled with presentations and workshops all focused on making positive changes for premature and sick babies and their families. "The learnings, collaborations and knowledge sharing is very inspiring. There is so much great work happening to improve the lives of premature and sick babies and their families right around the world. This knowledge and experience will assist Miracle Babies to continue our great impact for Australian babies and families. Our call for Additional Paid Parental Leave for these vulnerable families to the Australian Government continues to be a high priority for us and Australia needs to support these families better during the critical care period in hospital." Kylie said. "It is a great honour to help shape the direction and care for families on the Parent & Patient Advisory Board with many other great parent organization leaders on a global scale". Kylie stated Thank you EFCNI for this amazing opportunity to learn and achieve more impact for Australian families. #efcni #pos2024

Today, April 20th, is Volunteer Recognition Day. It's the day to honour, recognize and celebrate the selfless individuals who volunteer their time and energy to help others and promote good causes. Our volunteers provide an integral service within Miracle Babies Foundation, helping many families through their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Nursery (SCN) journey, and in raising awareness and much needed funds. Volunteers of Miracle Babies Foundation work together for a common goal of providing "better, healthier outcomes for newborns and their families challenged by prematurity or sickness." Krista Neubeck is one of our Head Office Volunteers and has been with Miracle Babies Foundation for 2 years. She spends 2 days a week, helping with some admin tasks including our resources, knitting donations and crib runs and you will always find her with a smile on her face. " I was born with a disability, so I enjoy giving back to the hospitals that helped me through my difficult journey. Volunteering for such a wonderful cause is very rewarding and I enjoy being part of the team". Thank you to all our Miracle Babies Volunteers for their continued dedication to our miracle families. They are the lifeblood of our organisation and without them, we would not be able to continue our work across Australia. Have you ever thought of Corporate volunteering? It's a great way to give back and make a real difference to families of premature and sick newborns. Click here to find out more information and express your interest: https://lnkd.in/gaftvtjr

This week, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood generously provided the Miracle Babies Team with a tour of their facility located in Alexandria, NSW. Lifeblood is a branch of the Australian Red Cross responsible for collecting and distributing blood and biological products in Australia. In 2018, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood opened its first milk facility in New South Wales. Since then, they have collected over 10,000 litres of breast milk, providing vital nutrition to more than 6,500 pre-term babies. This is an amazing achievement in supporting families of premature and sick newborns. Miracle Babies is grateful for Lifeblood allowing us to visit the facility and learn more about what they do. We look forward to contributing to such important work in supporting families of premature and sick babies.

Staff Highlight: Today we celebrate Olivia Markis our Office Manager who has been an employee of the Miracle Babies team for 3 years. Congratulations Olivia! Olivia is mum to Miracle twins, Ethan and Mary who were born at 27 weeks. It was a difficult and emotional time for her not knowing what was happening with little understanding of why and how this happened. With the support of Miracle Babies, Olivia and her family could stay strong. The twins are now 10 years old and thriving. Olivia is passionate about her position with Miracle Babies as the Office Manager and is proud to be part of such a wonderful team. Thank you Olivia, for the amazing work that you do, and we are so incredibly lucky to celebrate 3 years of having you on our team.

At the PSANZ 2024 Congress, our NurtureProgram Services Manager Tina Parker met Jemma Hartley from The Little Miracles Trust, a parent organization in New Zealand. "I had the pleasure of meeting Family Support Co-Ordinator Jemma Hartley from The Little Miracles Trust at the PSANZ Conference in Christchurch this week. It was wonderful to hear about the amazing work they do supporting New Zealand whānau of premature and unwell babies." - Tina Parker Thank you The Little Miracles Trust for all the wonderful work you provide to premature and sick babies.

'No matter how long our babies are with us in our pregnancy or in our arms, their impact on our heart and lives is so great and forever'  Kylie Pussell, our CEO and CoFounder shares her message to health care professionals working with families through miscarriage, stillbirth, perinatal loss and palliative care. As a bereaved parent sharing her journey and her parent voice with health care professionals to improve care, treatment, communication and outcomes, there are emotional times, the grief is real and always there. At the 2024 PSANZ Annual Scientific Meeting the PSANZ Special Interest Group on Perinatal Ethics held a session which evoked so much deep conversation and discussion. Parents' perspectives were represented by Kylie Pussell and Pieta Shakes.   Miscarriage, stillbirth, perinatal loss, palliative care - changes you forever! It's life changing and we need to make sure we provide a safe space at home, family, work, community - everywhere that families can talk and share when they are ready about their baby. #miraclebabies #yourstory #mystory #neonatalcare #nicu #scn #saytheirname #neonatalloss #palliativecare #miscarriage #stillbirth #heartbreak #lifechanging #grief #bereavement #safespace Through the Unexpected The Pink Elephants Support Network Red Nose Australia PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia Bear Cottage SANDS Bears Of Hope Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Inc