Liverpool Hospital welcomes back Miracle Babies’ NurtureTime service

After 2 years of strict restrictions within the NICU and Special Care Nurseries in many hospitals across the country, we are pleased to have more NurtureTime services starting to resume once again, allowing Miracle Babies to enter the unit to provide valuable and important peer support to families with a baby currently in specialised care.

NurtureTime in-hospital support is facilitated by caring parents who themselves have experienced the birth of premature or sick newborn.

Our qualified NurtureTime volunteers visit the hospital to offer support, guidance and hope. Parents, family and friends can ask questions, share their thoughts and feelings knowing the volunteer has a shared experience.

The below NurtureTime services recently resumed in NSW and NT following an extended period of restrictions due to the COVID pandemic:

• Liverpool Hospital (NSW) – resumed July
• Darwin Hospital (NT) – resumed July
• Royal Women’s Hospital, Randwick (NSW) – resumed June

"I realised I was allowed to have a bad day now and then. I felt silly sometimes about the things I felt guilty about, but when I listened to other people you know have been through it, I realised I am actually pretty normal."
- Jessica, mum to twin girls born at 32 weeks on the support received by Miracle Babies volunteers via the NurtureTime support service.

Founding NurtureProgram Hospital Partner, Liverpool Hospital, welcomed Miracle Babies Foundation back with a lovely afternoon tea, shared with Miracle Babies Head Office staff and Liverpool Hospital’s NICU team.

Pictured: Miracle Babies Head Office staff and Liverpool Hospital NICU team.

Miracle Babies Foundation was launched in 2005 with the help of Liverpool Hospital's NICU.

“Miracle Babies formed when my miracle babies were so young. I was at my most vulnerable after having 3 premature babies and several losses and the connection with other families was my lifeline. It is such an honour to acknowledge my miracle babies, my 3 with me here today and growing well and also those in my heart, forever by being able to support other families through their own traumatic experience and giving back to the hospitals that saved my babies lives." - Kylie Pussell, CEO and Co-Founder.

Together, Miracle Babies and Liverpool Hospital worked on an in-hospital parent support program, allowing current NICU families the opportunity to speak to past parents, and on expanding the already running, but resource limited premmie playgroup to reach even more NICU families. As positive outcomes from these parent support programs became evident, Miracle Babies was invited to take part in several nursing conferences and training courses offering a parent's perspective of the NICU experience. This introduced our programs to staff from other NICUs around the country who began inquiring about extending our services to more families. Today, the Miracle Babies NurtureProgram is globally recognised within the Neonatal Field.