Bringing Christmas to families in the NICU

THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER 2022

Every year, sadly many babies will spend their first Christmas in hospital due to being born premature or sick, spending weeks or months in hospital. On Christmas Day alone, around 132 babies will be born requiring the care of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Nursery (SCN).

Tommee Tippee, long standing supporter and Corporate Partner of Miracle Babies for many years, has helped to provide special support for families at Christmas time, each year donating 1,500 of these Christmas Gifts for premature and sick newborns and their families.

All gifts are distributed by Miracle Babies Foundation, with the help of TLD Logistics, to NICUs and Special Care Nurseries across Australia. These are delivered in the lead up to Christmas and given to families in the NICU and SCN on Christmas Day.

Christmas should be filled with joy, but sadly for families this is not the case as they sit beside their newborn, often being separated from their children and from the rest of their families as they precious newborn fights for their life. While the best gift of all would be to bring their baby home, these gifts can help to put a smile on their face and bring a little Christmas cheer at this overwhelming and emotional time.

Many families can spend weeks or months in the NICU or Special Care Nursery and this experience can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of the entire family.

We send our wishes to all families spending Christmas with their baby in the NICU or Special Care Nursery, and we would like to say a big thank you to all who have donated and supported our Christmas appeal, to deliver these special gifts and ongoing support to these families across Australia.

If you are in need of support over this time, our NurtureLine remains accessible 24 hours, 7 days a week and you can get in touch with our support team. Remember, this line is also open to dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, even close friends or other family members of the family. The support team are able to listen, share, understand and support families as they too understand the guilt, fear, anxiety and isolation of having a baby challenged by prematurity or sickness.