Special occasions spent in the Neonatal Unit can be very challenging for families. It is our pleasure to recognise these special days with provision of a small gift to help brighten a families day. This Father’s Day we contributed 250 gifts which were sent out around WA to make a difference. This is only possible thanks to the generous support of the WA community!
Father’s Day 2019
Today we celebrate Father’s Day and recognise all those Dad’s and Father Figures who…
are currently watching their baby in the Neonatal Unit
are anxiously waiting for their little one to arrive
only have memories of their baby in their heart
provide and care for their families
get up early for their children’t sport
receive phone calls from their ‘big babies’ who have grown up
Happy Father’s Day to all of you!
For our current Neonatal Unit Dad’s all over this great state of Western Australia, we have provided a small gift today. To let you know that we are thinking of you and whilst this day might not be playing out the way you had planned we hope this brings a little cheer during this extremely difficult time.
If you are a Dad or Father Figure looking for some extra support we would welcome you to join our Facebook Group specifically for Dad’s here https://www.facebook.com/groups/TSWAdadsupport
Happy Mother's Day 2019
Mother's Day is such a special day for women everywhere. It is an acknowledgement of the amazing role women play in their families as a Mother. For some they will be spending this special day in hospital alongside their 'tiny spark'. To bring some joy to what is no doubt a difficult time we have sent out more than 200 gifts state wide, for those families spending Mother's Day in a Neonatal Unit.
We want those Mum’s to know they are in our thoughts. That we have been where they are now and we appreciate the unique challenges they face sitting by their baby’s crib in a Neonatal Unit, torn between their children at home and their sick baby, and those Mums whose baby's are in their hearts and not their arms.
Our gift includes a beautiful card with room for the Neonatal Nurses to stamp babies hand and foot prints and also a silver ‘Love’ bookmark. We know that baby’s who hear their Mum’s voices when they are preterm or sick do better. Their long term outcomes are improves and it increases bonding. Somethings it can be difficult to find the right words, or you may feel silly telling your baby that you love them for the millionth time that day. That is where reading comes in!
It is not necessarily what you say, but the fact they can hear your voice just as they would if they were still in utero. Why not read aloud your current novel. Not much of a reader, borrow a copy of Harry Potter or something fun and long, and go for it.
From all of the team at Tiny Sparks WA we wish mother’s everywhere a very Happy Mother’s Day.
Christmas Card Competition
Do you have a budding young artist at home? Perhaps your 'tiny spark' would like to design our Christmas Card which will be distributed state wide across all neonatal units this Christmas? Please pop over to our Facebook page to find out all about the competition. All the details are on this post and you will need to upload your picture to that post to enter. Good luck!
Christmas in NICU 2017
More than 200 WA babies spent their first Christmas in a neonatal unit this year. Some learning to feed and growing just a little bit more, others in the fight of their life. It's a very emotional time on a day that is all about family.
We put a call out as we do annually to our volunteers to help brighten Christmas in neonatal units all over the state. It was wonderful to see such beautiful quilts donated for our families.
Now that's a lot of mail! Sending our Christmas gifts to all our regional families.
The love that went into the quilts we received was remarkable.
This Christmas we distributed in excess of 300 quilts and more than 200 'Baby's First Christmas' ornaments. The ornaments were donated by a local, family run business, Foote & Flame. The quilts and ornaments went out to 26 hospitals around Western Australia.
We know these small gifts make the world of difference to our families during the holiday period. To all of our sewers we can't thank you enough for your continued efforts!
From the Board and members of Tiny Sparks WA we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.