Agnes Walsh Project Completion

After a phenomenal response from the WA public we are so pleased to announce that the Agnes Walsh Project has now been completed in full!  Thank you everyone for your donations and support to effect change for our regional mothers!

GWN7 attended the project handover and you can see their piece below.

We are also grateful to the Western Suburbs Weekly who also ran a story about the project which you can read here. 

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated group of volunteers who worked hard to source all of the items included in our donation and attended at Agnes Walsh to ensure the handover went smoothly.

We look forward to undertaking more special projects in the future.

4 Years and 1000 Care Packages

Can you believe we have been delivering Care Packages for 4 years now?  It seems to have come around so fast!!  On the 4th anniversary of our very first delivery to King Edward Memorial Hospital (Perth), we delivered our 1,000th Care Package!  Our first delivery consisted of just 10 packs and now we are delivering in excess of 50 packs per month.

It's quite incredible to know that we have raised more than $40,000 specifically for this program over the last 4 years and provided families in neonatal units with goods exceeding $95,000 of retail value!!  WOW!

Each of our Care Packages is sponsored by an individual, family or business and each pack contains a personal note of encouragement or support.

We are very grateful to the Western Suburbs Weekly for attending our 1,000th Care Package Delivery and writing an article which you can read here.

It was lovely to meet Mum Sophie and heartening to hear that her daughter Scarlett is making progress every day in the neonatal unit.

We are so grateful to everyone who has sponsored a Care Package over the last 4 years.  We hope to support more families in the future by expanding our program to reach more of the 4,000 families whose babies are admitted to the neonatal unit in WA each year.

To send your own message of support and help us in our endeavour to support more families, please donate a care package.  Your donation is tax deductible.

Welcoming Baby Spa Perth

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We are delighted to welcome Baby Spa Perth as a Supporter of Tiny Sparks WA.  They have very generously donated hydrotherapy and massage vouchers to be included in our care packages which are distributed to the smallest and sickest of WA's babies admitted to neonatal units.

Chairperson Amber with Director Anita collecting the gift vouchers.

Chairperson Amber with Director Anita collecting the gift vouchers.

Anita, Director of Baby Spa Perth advises there are a range off benefits to babies, especially those born sick or preterm, once they are discharged from hospital.

HYDROTHERAPY BENEFITS 

The sensation of floating in warm water puts babies completely at ease and can promote a number of key benefits:

  • Muscular and skeletal strength is increased through the water’s gentle resistance.

  • Movement through the water has a positive effect on the digestive and circulatory systems, which can reduce meconium levels and lowers the risk of jaundice three or four days after birth.

  • Subtle water pressure on the chest can increase lung capacity by strengthening intercostal muscles and the respiratory system.

  • Regular visits can benefit the cardiovascular system.

  • Innate swimming reflexes are stimulated and co-ordination is developed as they learn to control their movements.

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MASSAGE BENEFITS FOR BABY

  • Promotion of parent-child bonding and secure attachment. This in turn facilitates their emotional and cognitive development (i.e. ability to learn)

  • Supports the stimulation of digestive and circulatory systems, reducing the discomfort of constipation and colic 

  • Relaxation - the combination of being in warm water along with massage promotes relaxation and supports the improvement of sleep patterns lead-ing to improved attention, working memory and emotional regulation in children

Lauren Catalano took her son Lenny regularly to Baby Spa Perth.  Here is what she has to say about the experience.

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“Our first visit too Baby Spa Perth was the day after our second son Lenny was discharged from the NICU at King Edward. After being born at 24 weeks, I made it my mission as his mother too give him the best alternative therapies outside of the hospital once he was home to allow his body to heal and thrive.

Baby Spa Perth soon became a weekly ritual for Lenny and I, Lenny grew to love the water and instinctively relax as soon as the therapist would warm the oil between her hands. The benefits were clear after just the first visit, and then even more so after a few weeks. I have no doubt in my mind that Baby Spa Perth has contributed too Lennys amazing development and health.
THANKYOU Baby Spa Perth for your gentle and loving care that you gave too both Lenny and myself during our time at Baby Spa Perth.
I would highly recommend any mother too take their baby to Baby Spa Perth. ”
— Lauren Catalano

We are grateful to Anita and her team for their ongoing contribution towards our care package program.  The vouchers will provide parents with a safe place to take their baby for a relaxed bonding experience in their first few weeks after discharge.

Please consider sponsoring a care package, providing essential items and sending a personal message to a West Australian family in the neonatal unit.  They need our support!

2016 Christmas Quilt Project

We are thrilled to announce our 2016 Christmas Quilt Project. This year we will be distributing Christmas Stockings to babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery in hospitals throughout WA.

We are grateful to Amy Smart who blogs at Dairy of a Quilter in providing permission for us to use her 'Easy Quilted Stocking Tutorial'. You can find the instructions to make your Christmas Quilt here.

Last year we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the public, we had donations from all over the country and stopped counting Christmas Quilts when we reached 1000! Please don’t let that deter you as the more we receive, the more we can distribute!

We have set out the guidelines below to assist everyone in the administration of the project. Tiny Sparks WA is completely volunteer run and most of have children and work so we’d be really grateful if you could please read this information carefully before contacting us.

FAQS

  1. Can I deviate from the instructions/patterns/specifications? – No, we ask that you follow the instructions carefully. They have been set out for a reason. The hospitals have very specific guidelines about what can be around the babies in the NICU and SCN.
  2. What material should I use? – 100% cotton (or very close please). No flannel.
  3. Should I prewash the material? – Either way is fine please.
  4. What cotton should I use? - Cotton or poly/cotton blend is fine.
  5. What designs can the material have? – Anything that is in the Christmas spirit, please make sure the design is child appropriate.
  6. Can I add a personal touch to the stocking? – Yes! Embroidery and applique is fine.
  7. Can I add my name, sewing tag to the stocking? – Yes, we just ask that you keep it small.  
  8. Can I contact you to make some other arrangements? Given the volume of donations we handle we cannot make individual arrangements.
  9. Will I get a personalised response about my donation? We will attempt to acknowledge all donations sent in, although are only able to do so if you provide us with your name and email address clearly written inside your donated quilt project package. We are unable to post a response due to limited resources. Please allow for up to a month for us to acknowledge any items posted or hand delivered.
  10. How many stockings can I make? – We would prefer that each person make no more than 10 stockings each.
  11. Do you need Christmas Quilts for 2016? – No, we have some reserved from last year which will be distributed along with the Christmas Stockings.
  12. What else can I sew for you? – We need sewers and knitters all year round. If you’d like to help further, please see the details here.

When and how can I get my donation to you?

  1. We ask that all donations are received to us by 30 November 2016. This will enable us time to sort and send out donations state wide in advance of the Christmas postal rush. Any donations received after this time will be put aside for next year.
  2. You can post your Christmas Stocking to us at:
    Tiny Sparks WA, PO Box 1114, West Leederville WA 6901.
  3. Please note that any old addresses that you may have are no longer suitable for donations.

If you have a question that has not been answered in the above, please email us at admin@tinysparkswa.org.au It may take us 48 – 72 hours to respond to you. 

Neonatal Unit Care Package Program Expansion

The Neonatal Unit Care Package program is expanding!

The Neonatal Unit Care Package program has been a flagship support program for Tiny Sparks WA, providing over 110 separate families with a Care Package at a difficult time in their lives. Funded entirely from public donations through Tiny Sparks WA fundraising or individual donations of whole Care Packages, these Care Packages have been well received by recipients and hospital staff, with wonderful feedback offered by recipients, a sample of which is below:

"Loved it at a time when nobody knows what to say or give as a gift"

"It made me feel very supported"

"It was an awesome gesture and really made my day"

"They are an amazing thing to receive, I will be donating"

We are now thrilled to announce a significant expansion of the Neonatal Unit Care Package program!

As of 1 July 2015 the distribution will increase to parents of babies born up to and including 1500g which will capture a significant number more families!

The expanded program has the potential to reach over twice the number of families in the next 12 months than the program has since its commencement in May 2014!

New Outfit Sizes

The original Neonatal Unit outfits that our industrious volunteers have been creating have been sized to approximately 1.2kg, therefore, the expanded Neonatal Unit Care Package program, which will reach babies born up to 1500g, requires a new size of outfit!

Newly posted on our Knitting and Sewing page are additional girls and boys patterns in 'up to 1.6kg' sizing. These have been listed under the 'low stock' heading as they are brand new - if you are able to assist in creating outfits in this new size and building our supplies we would be very grateful! 

Links to full instructions, pattern downloads and FAQs are all available from our Knitting and Sewing page.

We would like to thank all donors past, present and future for allowing the Neonatal Unit Care Package program to be a success and allowing its expansion! We would also like to extend a massive thank you to the key staff at KEMH who distribute all of the Care Packages and who are the crucial link between Tiny Sparks WA and the recipients.

Future Expansion

Yes, we want to keep expanding! Tiny Sparks WA acknowledges that it is not only premature babies that experience the Neonatal Unit, and as such, we are looking towards future expansions to other hospitals that will cater to the families of newly born babies requiring long term Neonatal Unit care due to illness or other reasons. Watch this space!

Full details of all Care Package programs are available on our Care Package page.