Latest news with #NICU
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video: Parents' First Time Meeting Adopted Baby Will Bring You To Tears
Adopting a child is a life-changing decision for every parent. While this bold move brings you closer to completing your family, it comes with its own set of challenges. This is especially true for couples who have embarked on this amazing journey for the very first time. However, an Instagram video of parents meeting their baby following a successful adoption process will prove why it's all worth it in the end. Victoria Lawson and her husband shared their tear-jerking story of bringing a little one into their family, and it will certainly tug at your heartstrings. You must be willing to fully commit once you have decided to bring home a child and make them a part of your family. Raising a kid requires a great deal of devotion, love, care, time, and patience — something Victoria Lawson and her husband Zac seemed ready to give. Victoria shared a heartwarming video of how the parents' first meeting with their baby went shortly after adoption. The couple recently welcomed a beautiful girl, and the clip will hit you right in the feels. The mom revealed that they got a call about a nearly one-day-old baby in the NICU, and how it went after they said 'yes' to the adoption. The clips showed her and Zac breaking down into tears on their first encounter with the little one as she introduced her as Haven Nevaeh Lawson to the world. The pair stood in complete awe of their baby girl, while Victoria gently cradled her in her arms, and the dad emotionally looked down. Moreover, the video's caption explained that the parents spent days in the NICU with the baby post-adoption. It further stated how 'physically and emotionally' hard it has been, with Victoria expressing gratitude for having the opportunity to raise someone they can call their own. The couple has since brought Haven home, embarking on their parenthood journey and sharing several updates with their followers. Commenters pointed out how happy Victoria and Zac appeared after their first meeting with their daughter. 'Mother's love was evident in her eyes,' wrote one user, while another claimed they broke into 'immediate tears' and called the moment 'beautiful.' A third individual praised Zac for realizing his wife's importance 'in this first interaction' as he 'took a back seat' in the clip. The post Video: Parents' First Time Meeting Adopted Baby Will Bring You To Tears appeared first on Momtastic.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Mother creates a book to help siblings navigate neonatal intensive care
When Deloraine mother Jayne Case went into hospital to have her third child, things didn't go to plan. Her son was born with kidney issues and the new family of five needed to temporarily relocate to Hobart, three hours from their home in Tasmania's north. The family was based at the Royal Hobart Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for six weeks. "He needed a lot of extra support and help once he was out in the world," she told Tracey Strong on ABC Radio Hobart Evenings. The newborn required surgery at eight days old, and the lives of her eight-year-old and five-year-old sons were turned upside down. "They moved from a quiet country life straight into the heart of Hobart at Ronald McDonald House," she said. "That was a bit of a transition for them both." Ms Case said the NICU was quite confronting at first, and very different to how her sons thought they would meet their new sibling. "It's not what you're ever expecting when you think of a newborn baby, especially when you've waited for your little brother for so long," she said. The NICU is on a separate ward and floor to the maternity ward. "In terms of newborn babies and how we expect them to be in their mother's arms, in their mother's bed in the maternity ward in the hospital, it's not like that at all," she said. "Most of the babies are absolutely tiny and they've got cords and tubes and all sorts of life-saving monitors around them. Ms Case said at one point she couldn't hold her new baby for five days. Ms Case said she and her husband tried to stay together at the hospital so they could help each other digest any news from medical staff. "When the doctor walks in the door you never know what they are going to say," she said. "We needed lots of extra help with the other boys. She felt that she needed something to help explain to the boys what was going on. "None of us had the brain space to do that," she said. "I thought it'd be great to have a book and went online and tried to find something, but I couldn't find anything that was suitable." It inspired her to write something herself. "I held onto the idea and one night when he was four or five months old it just appeared in my brain just like magic," she said. The book, Counting on You, was released at the start of June and is written from the perspective of a boy called Otto who loves numbers. It goes through all the different things Otto did to help himself cope during his baby brother's NICU time. "It's personal for me but I know it'll be really helpful for other siblings of NICU babies to see themselves in this big scary journey," Ms Case said. "Until you've experienced it yourself it's really difficult to get your head around." Her now two-year-old will have life-long kidney issues. "He's an amazing little kid, we all absolutely adore him and will do absolutely anything for him," she said. "I hope [the book] helps siblings and families going through a similar journey to find comfort and hope and recognition of how things are for them. "I'd love to also help other families and children who haven't experienced the NICU world to have a greater understanding and empathy of other people's stories."
7NEWS
5 days ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
Nurses rally over sick bubs 'parked in cramped unit'
Nurses and parents of premature babies are battling to find space in a tight intensive care unit, using a former storeroom at one of Australia's busiest hospitals. About 80 nurses at Westmead Hospital supported their overworked colleagues from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in western Sydney by walking out on Monday lunchtime. They made their voices heard after their repeated complaints about the lack of beds, space or staff to treat preterm babies with critical care issues went unanswered by the hospital's management and senior public health officials. 'Having to double- or triple-park sick babies into a cramped area that was originally a storeroom is not what the people of western Sydney should expect in 2025,' NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association president O'Bray Smith said. 'Staff are leaving, cutting their hours, or switching from full-time to part-time hours because of the stress and demoralising conditions.' About one in six newborns pass through a NICU or lower-acuity special care nursery each year, official figures say. Westmead's NICU, catering for more than 2.5 million residents in western Sydney, is one of a handful in Australia capable of the highest level of complex medical care, known as level six. The 44-bed unit is staffed for 80 per cent capacity but has been surging to 140 per cent due to a sharp increase in the number and complexity of babies needing critical care, the nurses' union says. Parents of premature children are sometimes forced to trek to Newcastle or Canberra because of overcrowded conditions at Westmead, the union says. Smith said the NICU's design layout remained a major challenge, with parents and staff fighting to find space among life-saving machines and tubes. 'It wasn't designed over two decades ago with massive population growth in mind,' she said. The union wants the unit increased to 50 beds and a minimum of 24 nurses working per shift, up from 21, to help deliver safe neonatal care. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to learn more about the situation before committing to any increased funding, a day before the state's budget. 'Paediatric work in major public hospitals in western Sydney in particular is hard, and we need them,' he said on Monday. 'The work that they do every single day, the miracles that they perform, the lives that they save, is incredible. 'When it comes to the specifics of Westmead, of course, we'll listen about patient care.'
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Nurses rally over sick bubs 'parked in cramped unit'
Nurses and parents of premature babies are battling to find space in a tight intensive care unit, using a former storeroom at one of Australia's busiest hospitals. About 80 nurses at Westmead Hospital supported their overworked colleagues from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in western Sydney by walking out on Monday lunchtime. They made their voices heard after their repeated complaints about the lack of beds, space or staff to treat preterm babies with critical care issues went unanswered by the hospital's management and senior public health officials. "Having to double- or triple-park sick babies into a cramped area that was originally a storeroom is not what the people of western Sydney should expect in 2025," NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association president O'Bray Smith said. "Staff are leaving, cutting their hours, or switching from full-time to part-time hours because of the stress and demoralising conditions." About one in six newborns pass through a NICU or lower-acuity special care nursery each year, official figures say Westmead's NICU, catering for more than 2.5 million residents in western Sydney, is one of a handful in Australia capable of the highest level of complex medical care, known as level six. The 44-bed unit is staffed for 80 per cent capacity, but has been surging to 140 per cent due to a sharp increase in the number and complexity of babies needing critical care, the nurses' union says. Parents of premature children are sometimes forced to trek to Newcastle or Canberra because of overcrowded conditions at Westmead, the union says. Ms Smith said the NICU's design layout remained a major challenge, with parents and staff fighting to find space among life-saving machines and tubes. "It wasn't designed over two decades ago with massive population growth in mind," she said. The union wants the unit increased to 50 beds and a minimum of 24 nurses working per shift, up from 21, to help deliver safe neonatal care. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to learn more about the situation before committing to any increased funding, a day before the state's budget. "Paediatric work in major public hospitals in western Sydney in particular is hard, and we need them," he said on Monday. "The work that they do every single day, the miracles that they perform, the lives that they save, is incredible. "When it comes to the specifics of Westmead, of course, we'll listen about patient care." Nurses and parents of premature babies are battling to find space in a tight intensive care unit, using a former storeroom at one of Australia's busiest hospitals. About 80 nurses at Westmead Hospital supported their overworked colleagues from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in western Sydney by walking out on Monday lunchtime. They made their voices heard after their repeated complaints about the lack of beds, space or staff to treat preterm babies with critical care issues went unanswered by the hospital's management and senior public health officials. "Having to double- or triple-park sick babies into a cramped area that was originally a storeroom is not what the people of western Sydney should expect in 2025," NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association president O'Bray Smith said. "Staff are leaving, cutting their hours, or switching from full-time to part-time hours because of the stress and demoralising conditions." About one in six newborns pass through a NICU or lower-acuity special care nursery each year, official figures say Westmead's NICU, catering for more than 2.5 million residents in western Sydney, is one of a handful in Australia capable of the highest level of complex medical care, known as level six. The 44-bed unit is staffed for 80 per cent capacity, but has been surging to 140 per cent due to a sharp increase in the number and complexity of babies needing critical care, the nurses' union says. Parents of premature children are sometimes forced to trek to Newcastle or Canberra because of overcrowded conditions at Westmead, the union says. Ms Smith said the NICU's design layout remained a major challenge, with parents and staff fighting to find space among life-saving machines and tubes. "It wasn't designed over two decades ago with massive population growth in mind," she said. The union wants the unit increased to 50 beds and a minimum of 24 nurses working per shift, up from 21, to help deliver safe neonatal care. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to learn more about the situation before committing to any increased funding, a day before the state's budget. "Paediatric work in major public hospitals in western Sydney in particular is hard, and we need them," he said on Monday. "The work that they do every single day, the miracles that they perform, the lives that they save, is incredible. "When it comes to the specifics of Westmead, of course, we'll listen about patient care." Nurses and parents of premature babies are battling to find space in a tight intensive care unit, using a former storeroom at one of Australia's busiest hospitals. About 80 nurses at Westmead Hospital supported their overworked colleagues from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in western Sydney by walking out on Monday lunchtime. They made their voices heard after their repeated complaints about the lack of beds, space or staff to treat preterm babies with critical care issues went unanswered by the hospital's management and senior public health officials. "Having to double- or triple-park sick babies into a cramped area that was originally a storeroom is not what the people of western Sydney should expect in 2025," NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association president O'Bray Smith said. "Staff are leaving, cutting their hours, or switching from full-time to part-time hours because of the stress and demoralising conditions." About one in six newborns pass through a NICU or lower-acuity special care nursery each year, official figures say Westmead's NICU, catering for more than 2.5 million residents in western Sydney, is one of a handful in Australia capable of the highest level of complex medical care, known as level six. The 44-bed unit is staffed for 80 per cent capacity, but has been surging to 140 per cent due to a sharp increase in the number and complexity of babies needing critical care, the nurses' union says. Parents of premature children are sometimes forced to trek to Newcastle or Canberra because of overcrowded conditions at Westmead, the union says. Ms Smith said the NICU's design layout remained a major challenge, with parents and staff fighting to find space among life-saving machines and tubes. "It wasn't designed over two decades ago with massive population growth in mind," she said. The union wants the unit increased to 50 beds and a minimum of 24 nurses working per shift, up from 21, to help deliver safe neonatal care. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to learn more about the situation before committing to any increased funding, a day before the state's budget. "Paediatric work in major public hospitals in western Sydney in particular is hard, and we need them," he said on Monday. "The work that they do every single day, the miracles that they perform, the lives that they save, is incredible. "When it comes to the specifics of Westmead, of course, we'll listen about patient care." Nurses and parents of premature babies are battling to find space in a tight intensive care unit, using a former storeroom at one of Australia's busiest hospitals. About 80 nurses at Westmead Hospital supported their overworked colleagues from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in western Sydney by walking out on Monday lunchtime. They made their voices heard after their repeated complaints about the lack of beds, space or staff to treat preterm babies with critical care issues went unanswered by the hospital's management and senior public health officials. "Having to double- or triple-park sick babies into a cramped area that was originally a storeroom is not what the people of western Sydney should expect in 2025," NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association president O'Bray Smith said. "Staff are leaving, cutting their hours, or switching from full-time to part-time hours because of the stress and demoralising conditions." About one in six newborns pass through a NICU or lower-acuity special care nursery each year, official figures say Westmead's NICU, catering for more than 2.5 million residents in western Sydney, is one of a handful in Australia capable of the highest level of complex medical care, known as level six. The 44-bed unit is staffed for 80 per cent capacity, but has been surging to 140 per cent due to a sharp increase in the number and complexity of babies needing critical care, the nurses' union says. Parents of premature children are sometimes forced to trek to Newcastle or Canberra because of overcrowded conditions at Westmead, the union says. Ms Smith said the NICU's design layout remained a major challenge, with parents and staff fighting to find space among life-saving machines and tubes. "It wasn't designed over two decades ago with massive population growth in mind," she said. The union wants the unit increased to 50 beds and a minimum of 24 nurses working per shift, up from 21, to help deliver safe neonatal care. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to learn more about the situation before committing to any increased funding, a day before the state's budget. "Paediatric work in major public hospitals in western Sydney in particular is hard, and we need them," he said on Monday. "The work that they do every single day, the miracles that they perform, the lives that they save, is incredible. "When it comes to the specifics of Westmead, of course, we'll listen about patient care."
West Australian
5 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Nurses rally over sick bubs 'parked in cramped unit'
Nurses and parents of premature babies are battling to find space in a tight intensive care unit, using a former storeroom at one of Australia's busiest hospitals. About 80 nurses at Westmead Hospital supported their overworked colleagues from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in western Sydney by walking out on Monday lunchtime. They made their voices heard after their repeated complaints about the lack of beds, space or staff to treat preterm babies with critical care issues went unanswered by the hospital's management and senior public health officials. "Having to double- or triple-park sick babies into a cramped area that was originally a storeroom is not what the people of western Sydney should expect in 2025," NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association president O'Bray Smith said. "Staff are leaving, cutting their hours, or switching from full-time to part-time hours because of the stress and demoralising conditions." About one in six newborns pass through a NICU or lower-acuity special care nursery each year, official figures say Westmead's NICU, catering for more than 2.5 million residents in western Sydney, is one of a handful in Australia capable of the highest level of complex medical care, known as level six. The 44-bed unit is staffed for 80 per cent capacity, but has been surging to 140 per cent due to a sharp increase in the number and complexity of babies needing critical care, the nurses' union says. Parents of premature children are sometimes forced to trek to Newcastle or Canberra because of overcrowded conditions at Westmead, the union says. Ms Smith said the NICU's design layout remained a major challenge, with parents and staff fighting to find space among life-saving machines and tubes. "It wasn't designed over two decades ago with massive population growth in mind," she said. The union wants the unit increased to 50 beds and a minimum of 24 nurses working per shift, up from 21, to help deliver safe neonatal care. Premier Chris Minns has vowed to learn more about the situation before committing to any increased funding, a day before the state's budget. "Paediatric work in major public hospitals in western Sydney in particular is hard, and we need them," he said on Monday. "The work that they do every single day, the miracles that they perform, the lives that they save, is incredible. "When it comes to the specifics of Westmead, of course, we'll listen about patient care."
