www.ygoh.org.au

Yasminah’s Gift Of Hope offers Hope, Light, Love and Happiness to families who experience the miscarriage, premature birth, neonatal loss, stillbirth or infant loss of their child or diagnosis of a congenital abnormality during pregnancy with early ongoing support, understanding and a Gift Of Hope.

Yasminah’s Gift Of Hope Journals are a very special keepsake that allows families to keep ultrasound images, photos, cot cards, arm bands, and foot and hand prints as a cherished keepsake of a precious life. Each journal contains a special page that the family can fill in about details of their child like name, date of birth, place of birth and details of the funeral or memorial service if their child has passed away. We encourage families to write about their journey. The family may like to keep it is a diary during their pregnancy after being told their child has a congenital abnormality, a journey through the roller coaster ride of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when their child is born premature, or life after the loss of their child. Some other uses are to write about the birth of their child, write poems about how they are feeling, write a letter to their child and keep any cards or messages received from family or friends.

Most importantly families can write down details and memories about their child to treasure forever. A Gift Of Hope.

Yasminah’s Gift Of Hope Incorporated provided our first Gift Of Hope on the 26th May 2010, exactly 1 year and 2 months after Yasminah was born sleeping. Yasminah’s Gift Of Hope became a registered non-profit charity endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient on the 13th July 2010. We are comprised of volunteers who have personally experienced the loss of a child, diagnosis of a congenital abnormality or the premature birth of their child, who are dedicated and passionate about providing support and understanding to families during a very difficult time.

Rebecca and Erin have both personally experienced the diagnosis of a congenital abnormality during pregnancy, premature birth and loss of their own children, and want you to know that you are not alone. Yasminah’s Gift Of Hope wish to bring families support, understanding and hope.

Join their Facebook page.

Food and drinks will be served and there will be guest speakers throughout the evening.

We look forward to meeting you on the night.

If you would like to make a payment via bank deposit please fill in the following online form. Once submitted, the Foundation’s bank details will be emailed to you for deposit.

For credit card purchase please click below and make a payment through paypal.

$40.00 per ticket.

We look forward to celebrating with you.
National Premmie Foundation Committee

Deanna Jenkins
President
Deanna is from Sydney and is the mother of two. Her youngest, Amy was born at 28 weeks in April 2008. Deanna saw the opportunity to become involved in the NPF as a way of being able to give back and help others on their journey following premature birth. She hopes that her corporate experience, strong leadership skills and ability to get things done will be put to good use in her new role as President of the National Premmie Foundation.

Vanessa Neilson
Vice President
Vanessa is from Burnie in Tasmania. She is the mother of five, four of whom were born premature. As well as being a busy mum Vanessa is also a registered nurse working in the operating theatre of her local hospital. She has recently been blessed with a new addition Toby, who was born at 24 weeks in May.

Elizabeth Crocker
Secretary
Liz is from Sydney and is mum to premmie twins Zara and William born at 29 weeks. Liz assisted in last years National Premmie Day promotion. She is eager to do more to assist other prem parents especially those who have experienced the joys and stresses of multiple birth.

Eileen Cooke
Treasurer
Eileen is from Brisbane, Qld. Her first son was born in 1996, 11 weeks premature. Since that time she has been an active volunteer and board member of the Preterm Infants Parents Association (PIPA). She was instrumental in the formation of the National Premmie Foundation and has been a member of the NPF Board since it’s inception in 2007. She is also is a consumer representative on a number of Queensland Health and hospital base committees Eileen is passionate about improving the conditions and services available to parents of infants born premature.

Julia Toivonen
Website/Public Officer
Julia resides in Victoria and is mum to two sons. Ronan, her eldest, was born at 27 weeks . As a founding committee member of the National Premmie Foundation she played a key role originally in establishing and now maintaining the NPF website. As the owner of L’il Aussie Prems, Australia’s largest online premmie support forum, Julia has been able to fulfil her passion of helping families through the difficult journey of parenting a prem..

Rebecca Waterhouse
Newsletter and Publicity
Rebecca (Bec) is from Brisbane Qld and is mum to her daughter who was born at 26 weeks. After the birth of her daughter Bec decided that she’d like to do something to help other prem parents. She developed her own website to share her experience with other and is excited about the opportunity to become involved with the National Premmie Foundation. She hopes that, through the NPF and its associated support network, premmie parents all over Australia will find themselves better supported through their NICU/SCN and premmie journey.

Sarah Peatey
Fundraising and Sponsorship
Sarah is from Middlemount in Central Queensland. She is a very busy mum to four. The youngest two, Hayden and William being born premature. This experience as made her eager to assist other prem parents. Residing in Central Queensland she has experienced first hand the difficulty of accessing maternity services and health services for children with special needs.

These founding groups include 1 of Australia’s longest running and most respected support groups, Preterm Infant’s Parents Association (PIPA) including Lifes Little Treasures Foundation & Loddon Mallee Kids . The other groups include L’il Aussie Prems & Yasminah’s Gift of Hope.

Although we have only joined forces in 2007, we have a combined total of over 50 years experience in supporting families of premature and sick infants.

Worldwide, 13 million babies are born early every year, including more than 45,000 Australian babies who are admitted to neonatal intensive care or special care units.

The National Premmie Foundation, The March of Dimes, the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants, (EFCNI) & Africa-based LittleBigSouls International Foundation are the founding global alliance members of World Prematurity Day. The global alliances hope to harness the power of social media to encourage governments to give top priority to educating health professionals and women about caring for high-risk pregnancies and premature babies.

You can show your support for global prematurity prevention efforts by going to World Prematurity Day Facebook page and joining the virtual campaign by changing your Facebook status to reflect a prematurity awareness message on the 17th November 2011.

In Australia we are celebrating World Prematurity Month with our major focus on World Prematurity Day. Make sure you view our events page to find out what amazing celebrations are happening throughout November hosted by our member groups.

]]> http://www.prembaby.org.au/premmie-day/feed/ 0 http://www.prembaby.org.au/bulk-rose-order/ http://www.prembaby.org.au/bulk-rose-order/#comments Thu, 08 Apr 2010 03:53:40 +0000 adminjt http://www.prembaby.org.au/?p=519

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My darling first daughter was born at 24wks, and what a roller coaster ride it was.

Not knowing what to expect when told we were in for the long haul. It was two steps forward, one step back with her. Laura was diagnosed with NEC (necroentercolitis) at 10 days old, and required bowl surgery. She was then diagnosed with a PDA duct that needed to be closed surgically at 30 days old. With so many blood and platelet transfusions, drugs and procedures that she endured, it was amazing that she was surviving. The hardest thing to endure through all  this was that I didn’t get to hold my precious baby until she was 41 days old.

Even with her laser eye surgery at 80 days old, for Grade 3 retinopathy, it was only then that she started to feel like  she was really my baby, as after that she was taken off the ventilator and moved to Special care, that I was able to be more involved in her care. After another few weeks, we returned to ICU to have her bowel stoma closed, and finally after 120 days, we were able to take our little girl home. After spending so long in hospital, you never want to see your baby back there.

At 10 months old, about 7and half months corrected, Laura become quite sick, having trouble breathing, her little chest rattling with a nasty cough, and generally being unwell. On a weekend, as unable to get to our GP, we took her to the Royal Children’s Hospital and were admitted straight away on oxygen. It was so frightening seeing her again being hooked up to monitors, needing oxygen, and looking again so helpless. The Doctors told us that she possibly had something called RSV, but they couldn’t be entirely sure until more tests were done. Thankfully, after four days of oxygen and constant monitoring, Laura seemed to be getting better, and we were sent home with a humidifier for her room and some anti-biotics.

It was so scary having to back in the hospital environment again, it brought back so many memories and we had just seemed to have gotten her home, and there we were again with a small and sick baby. After something like that, you tend to wake up at night every time you hear even the slightest cough, whether they are a tiny baby or even now when they are a big teenager.

Now at nearly 13, Laura has the physical scars to show from her times in hospital, but it is those times in hospital that long stays in the memory of her Mother.

Daniel Rivers born at 29 wks, 5 days gestation 1730grams 12/10/98

After going through what Laura, people often ask me how we possibly could have done this again. At the time, you don’t really think of those things.

Knowing that this was a high risk pregnancy and the chances of having another Prem baby were so high, it was no surprise that Daniel tried to enter the world at 23, 25, and 26 wks. Each time we managed to convince him to stay a little longer, but at the time of his birth, doctors were amazed a how much bigger he had gotten by staying with me for those few extra weeks.

Daniel was a much bigger baby than his sister, and was doing so much better. He didn’t have to spend as long in ICU, he didn’t have the operations or as many major worries as Laura. In Special care at around 4 weeks old though, he weakened a little and was found to have caught phenumonia. The doctors were concerned that his right lung would be a little weakened by this, but after a week of really battling, he started to turn the corner and showing signs of real improvement. Although, he didn’t come home on oxygen, it was only five days before he was discharged that he finally appeared not to need it to go home with. After 66 days, we could finally go home.

After all we had been through with them, when we left with Daniel we had hoped that we our days in hospital were over.

It was again in the early part of August, that I recognised in Daniel the same type of symptoms that Laura had showed the winter she was a baby. We again went straight up to the hospital, where they showed no hesitation in taking Daniel in and immediately giving him some oxygen. It was so hard to hear that he was going to be hospitalised, and again the doctors mentioned RSV to me. I must admit to not asking as many questions, as we had done this before, all I wanted was my baby to well again and go home.

I spent the next six days sleeping in a chair next to his hospital cot, watching him struggling to breath, scared of what may happen. Although Daniel was a bigger baby and longer gestation, RSV seemed to have struck him down harder. His right lung was so weak and troubled by this nasty virus. I hated being there, wanting to go home, but fear of leaving him as he seemed to be so sick. After nearly two weeks, we finally started to see some signs of improvement and were allowed to take him home. What a relief.!

For those first few winters, Daniel always seemed to struggle with coughs and with bronchial strains. Now at nearly 10 years old, he seems to have finally beaten all those early problems.

Mia Abbott born at 32wks 4 days gestation 1380 grams 2/2/07

After such a long time between my Prem babies, it was just as much of a shock having Mia at 32 weeks, as it was having Laura at 24 weeks.

My pregnancy was a horrible nightmare, but Mia’s time in hospital was relatively easy. Not needing any oxygen or ventilation, Mia was taken straight to special care, and spent her days getting learning to feed and getting bigger.

In comparison with her sister and brother, her hospital stay was far less stressful for her. It was much more stressful for her Mum, and her time in hospital brought back so many memories of previous experiences.

After spending 38 days in hospital, Mia was discharged at 2100 grams, a small but happy and healthy baby.

Now at 17 months of age (15 months corrected), so far this winter has been by far the worst. Mia has been constantly sick with ear infections, colds, conjunctivitis, and flu’s.

It is our greatest fear that something like RSV will again hit our family, and I know that we won’t rest easily until this period is over. I don’t think that I could bear to see Mia go through what Laura and Daniel did with being re-hospitalised. We will keep our fingers crossed!

A national organisation that unifies, and acts as a guiding body for existing prem support groups, helps to create new ones, helps to improve the treatments and outcomes available for premature infants, and represents the interests of these infants and their families in terms of health policies, funding and standards of care. It also offers a friendly ear to parents going through this rollercoaster experience.

If you would like to apply for a position on the committee or would like further information. Then please contact the support group in your area, the group details can be found at www.prembaby.org.au/contact-us or if there is no group in your area contact the NPF direct on: contact_us@prembaby.org.au