25th October is Grandparent’s Day, a day to honour and thank you for the important and special role you play.

Support the grandparent of a premature or sick newborn here.

When a family travels the difficult journey of welcoming a premature or sick baby into the world, it isn’t just the parents or carers who are impacted. The whole family feels the reality and shares in the emotions of the experience. None more so than grandparents.

Grandparent relationships are diverse and come in many different forms across Australia. Grandparents, grand-friends, kin, and those who take on the role of a grandparent in their family are often a great source of support for Miracle families facing these challenges.

Congratulations to our miracle grandparents. Having your grandchild need specialised medical care from being born early or ill at birth can be scary, emotional and overwhelming. Watching your own child experience this entry to parenthood can also be a difficult time. Miracle Babies acknowledge your important role in the NICU/ SCN journey, either as a grandparent, mentor or family friend supporting those that you love and care about and we here to support you too.

$47 provides emotional support plus a grandparent support resource

To honour and celebrate the grandparents in our lives, Miracle Babies Foundation launched the ‘Proud Grandparent’s Project’.

 

The project works to recognise the amazing role grandparents have in this journey, whilst also acknowledging the difficulties grandparents may face, including isolation, fear, helplessness, anxiety, detachment, confusion, and even conflict.

The NICU Survival Pack aims to equip families with a baby currently in NICU or SCN to help them navigate and cope through this challenging and traumatic experience.

The addition of these Grandparents resources acknowledge the difficulties that grandparents also may face, including isolation, fear, helplessness, anxiety.

The resources include:

• Information to support grandparents in coping with the experience themselves.
• 1 x Storybook.

Reading to babies in the NICU and beyond can:

• • Assist with bonding (without physical touch)
  • Improve mental wellbeing of grandparents/family members
  • Help reduce stress for the baby
  • Aid baby’s development

Grandparents also have access to emotional support services:

• NurtureLine (24-hour family support line)
• NurtureTime (in-hospital peer support)
• New Nurture ‘E’ Online Information Hub

Watching your own child experience this entry to parenthood can be a difficult time.

Miracle Babies acknowledges the important role of grandparents in the NICU/ SCN journey, either as a grandparent, mentor or family friend supporting those that you love and care about and we here to support you too.

Advice and tips from grandparents who have travelled this journey:

• Be the rock your child needs you to be. This journey is enormous, they need you.
• Try not to take offense. Parents are doing the best they can in dire circumstances. Love those babies. Don’t be afraid to touch them when their health allows, it’s a vital form of communication, as is the sound of your voice; so sing, read & chat. Go with an appreciative mindset. If your child hasn’t eaten, feed them; move their cars and love them unconditionally and bestow that same gift on your grandchildren. It’s an amazing investment, as the love you put in now, is returned 10-fold later.
• Be strong emotionally and support your family as much as possible. Celebrate the special milestones and acknowledge the tears and difficult moments. Support - this is the word that comes to mind, it is so important. You don’t need to give advice, or opinions, you just need to be there to support your loved ones in any way they need.