By Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation

Bassinets For Babies

Feb 21, 2020 | 3:36 PM

At 28 weeks pregnant with twins, Trish Hellman was trying to catch up on rest in her home in Crescent Heights. She started to feel some mild cramps but nothing too painful. Initially, Trish did not think much of it. Maybe it was “new mom nerves” or the fact that her husband was out of town, but Trish decided to go to the Maternity Clinic to get checked out. The doctor on duty examined Trish and, to her surprise, informed her that she was in labour. There was no time to waste; the twins were on their way. A team from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit rushed in to prepare for the arrival of the twins who were twelve weeks premature. After birth, they required feeding tubes and medical care 24 hours a day in special incubators called OmniBeds. Omnibeds replicate the womb environment to create a stress-reduced atmosphere with humidity and temperature control. These specialized beds are necessary for the health of premature babies. Trish spent every day at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital where she held her boys for as long as possible; Touch is healing and necessary for parent-child bonding. Trish went home only to eat and sleep. “I can’t say enough good things about the nurses,” says Trish, “They really love what they do and work hard to make the NICU feel like home.” After months of care, the twins, Hayden and Hunter, were allowed to go home.

The first moments in a baby’s life are crucial to lifelong development. The power of touch creates bonds that form into emotional and physical security; a foundation of trust to be built upon as a child grows up. Newborn babies in hospitals use incubators, such as the OmniBed, if they require special care, or bassinets. Soon the Medicine Hat Health Foundation will be raising funds for new baby bassinets. There are, on average, 1100 babies born each year in Medicine Hat and the Hospital has needs for 40 Bassinets in various departments such as Labour & Delivery, NICU and Mat-Child. Aspire to make a difference and watch out for our upcoming campaign, Bassinets For Babies, and mark your calendars for our Dare To Be There Gala on May 2^nd.

“At the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” – Denzel Washington