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Welcome to
the L'il Aussie Prems December 2009 Newsletter.
There are many new and exciting things happening
at L'il Aussie
Prems. Be sure to check our Forum & Facebook group page for
the latest updates. A special thank you to the amazing parents &
members who help
with the many aspects of the website. Your support, dedication,
patience
and ideas are very much appreciated and we look forward to
continuing to
work with you in the new year. We are continuing to send our premmie
parent bags to families around Australia who have their babies
currently in the NICU/SCN.We have received wonderful feedback and we
are
always working on improving the information and services inside the
bags.
We have sent a total of 84 bags.
We wish everyone a
very happy and safe
Christmas and we look forward to seeing you on the forum in
2010.
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* Welcome * Latest Forum Topics * Premmie Hero Awards * Touching your Premature Baby * Premmie on Board Car Signs * Sponsor a Premmie Parent Bag * Product of the Month * Christmas
Recipe * Premmie of the
Month
Our Sponsors
Bellabee Candle
Designz Our Supporters LaToriana |
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LATEST FORUM TOPICS Funds needed to save
breastmilk bank Prem article in yesterdays West Australian
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PREMMIE HERO
AWARDS Every year in Australia, thousands of babies are born prematurely. Their families ride a rollercoaster of emotions as they watch their children fight to overcome the health and developmental issues facing them as a result of their early arrival. These issues continue long after the babies are discharged from hospital. L'il Aussie Prems will be seeking nominations from around Australia of “local premmie heroes” – the ordinary yet extraordinary people who give up their time to support the families of premature babies both during their hospital stay and afterwards, doing everything from sewing tiny clothing for very low birth weight babies to setting up local playgroups for prematurely born children to organising fundraising for research into the causes of premature birth, the list is endless. Nominations open on the 1st February 2010. 
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TOUCHING
YOUR
PREMATURE BABY IN THE NICU AND BEYOND
Watch, listen and learn – your baby is your teacher! Positive, nurturing touch is important in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as premature babies often experience negative, painful touch by way of medical treatments. For an infant to interact socially, they must first be able to control their autonomic motor and behavioural state systems. Tactile support such as nurturing touch can help your baby to settle. Factors such as the environment, type and level of procedures along with the infants maturity will affect their ability to cope with stimulation. Environment can include noise from equipment, monitor alarms and other babies crying. The overall aim of positive, nurturing touch in the NICU is to reduce tactile sensitivity, to encourage bonding and attachment, to provide a pleasurable positive touch experience, to facilitate a positive interaction between parent and child, and to encourage an improved range of motion and relaxation for baby. Parents
and caregivers would ideally benefit in having an increased
awareness and
knowledge of their baby’s body language, or cues as it is
otherwise known.
It is important for parents to respect these ‘time out’
signals given by
their baby. Through watching, listening and touching, parents become
familiar of the individuality of their baby. This fosters a greater
respect for their child, enhancing the parent-child bonding and
communication.
Body language, stress cues and behavioural states Premature babies at any time may display strong stress cues and body language associated with overstimulation. These cues include a change in skin colour (pale or mottling), change in breathing, change in heart rate (bradycardia), apnea, change in oxygen levels and a sudden change in baby’s behavioural state. Why is it important for parents to observe their baby? As every baby and every situation is unique, observing how your newborn sleeps and wakes (their ‘infant’ or ‘behavioural’ states) will give you an idea of your baby’s maturity, nervous system functioning and how well your baby can manage their environment (so as not to become overstimulated) Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in helping their baby to control, or manage, his or her state. Further
more, look for ‘cluster’ cues, that is,
if more than one
cue is evident, take a break from positive touch or resting hands
and try
again later. Some avoidance cues include yawning, hiccups, sneezing,
facial grimacing, squirming movements, the ‘salute’
(fingers over face),
looking away, jerky movements, finger splaying, tremors or clenched
fists.
So what are positive ‘coping’ cues or behaviours that
are a good sign?
Hand to mouth, hands together, sucking, smooth movements (as opposed
to
jerky) and grasping/holding. These are examples of inborn
behavioural
patterns that help your baby to stay calm, pay attention and remain
controlled. Click here to read the full article
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*NEW DESIGN* PREMMIE ON BOARD CAR SIGNS Purchase your very own unique “prem on board” car sign for your premmie baby. Available through the L’il Aussie Prems website our newly designed car signs are a fantastic way to let other drivers know that you have precious cargo onboard. Place on any glass surface Orders can be paid using paypal or bank deposit. We have two styles available
Price $8.00
per sign
Click
here to order your sign
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SPONSOR
A PREMMIE PARENT BAG Our Premmie
Parent Bags have been created for Australian families who currently
have a
premature baby or babies in NICU or SCN. As a community of parents
here at
L’il Aussie Prems we have collated these bags to help other
families find
the ground support they need to help them on their journey through
hospital.
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PRODUCT OF THE MONTH - DECEMBER eeni
meeni miini moh
PURE Newborn Collection
eeni meeni miini
moh®’s PURE newborn
collection is a contemporary range of apparel, linen and accessory
products for babies sized Newborn (0000) and 0-3 months
(000). Featuring a very fine
stripe for the first time, the eeni meeni miini moh Pure newborn
collection is available in two limited edition signature eeni meeni
miini
moh colours – ‘Sorbet’ and
‘Haze’, as well as its ever-popular ‘Pure
White’. eeni meeni miini moh®’s
much admired signature ‘PURE’ styles including its
hooded jumpsuit,
playsuit, t-shirts, leggings, knotted beanie, sleeping sack and
hooded
towel combine with new items such as a dress and bloomer, bucket
hat,
bodysuit, hooded jacket and wool cashmere wrap/throw. This is
the
first time that eeni meeni miini moh® has used cashmere in any
of its
collections and it feels wonderful! Produced from premium
quality 100% natural fabrics such as pure cotton, wool and cashmere,
the
PURE newborn collection is extremely durable and easy to care
for.
Terms & Conditions: This
offer is only available from the eeni meeni miini moh Online Store whilst stocks last. This
offer is not redeemable for cash or gift vouchers and cannot be used
in
conjunction with any other offer.
Offer valid until 30 June 2010 or while stocks last.
Visit www.eenimeeni.com and sign up free to become a VIP
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YUMMY CHRISTMAS COOKIES Sweeten up the festive season with biscuits that are sure to make Santa smile Ingredients
MethodPreheat oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in milk and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour and custard powder.Press the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest.Divide the dough into manageable portions. Roll out one portion on a sheet of non-stick baking paper to about 1cm thick. Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut shapes and place on the trays. Decorate with cachous.Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden. Cool for 5 minutes on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. More recipes can be found at www.taste.com.au |
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PREMMIE OF THE MONTH - DECEMBER Phoenix and her mum Jordan Where was Phoenix born? Mater Mothers Hospital, Brisbane Queensland What was her gestation? 31 Weeks And was her birth weight? She weighed 1660grams What do you remember most about Phoenix's time in hospital? What I remember most about Phoenix being in hospital was travelling 1 hour to and from the hospital , being there for 12 hours everyday, just watching her sleep, move and grow, thinking of all the joys her father and I will have with her. Does Phoenix have any ongoing health issues? Phoenix has no ongoing health issues What has been your proudest moment since Phoenix came home? My proudest moment since Phoenix has come home is watching the great amounts of weight that she's put on and seeing her strive everyday!  Thank you L'il Aussie Prems Team  Birth
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