NICU Connections

Our tip sheets for dads, family members and others offer advice on how to survive the neonatal setting and offer help and guidance to families going through the journey of having a newborn in hospital.

NICU Connections (In Hospital Group)

NICU CONNECTIONS online Facebook live chat for families in NICU and Special Care is on every Friday from 11am-1pm AEST.

• For parents in NICU & Special Care Nurseries
• Closed Facebook group for members only
• Live group discussions fully supported by LLTF peer support teams

A great opportunity to connect with other families in NICU/SCN across Australia for check-ins and catch-ups

NICU Connections (At Home – Post Discharge Group)

Life’s Little Treasures Foundation NICU CONNECTIONS AT HOME online Facebook live chat for families at home is on every Wednesdays 11am-1pm AEST.

• For parents who have been discharged from NICU/SCN
• Closed Facebook group for members only
• Live group discussions fully supported by LLTF peer support teams
  

  A great opportunity to connect with other families across Australia for check-ins and catch ups
  

  * Double-sided A5 flyer with details on how to connect with both groups
  * Comes in bundles of 10 flyers

My Brave Journey
(Sibling Bereavement Colouring Book)

A colouring book to help siblings understand the emotions they might be feeling after the loss of a baby brother or sister. 

Explaining the death of a sibling to children can be daunting for parents who are also dealing with their own grief at the loss of their child. It is common for parents to feel unsure about what to say and how much to tell children and to want to protect them, especially when children are very young and may struggle to understand the concept of death.

To support families during this very difficult time Life’s Little Treasures Foundation in partnership NIDCAP Australasia have developed MY Brave Journey, an interactive, guided children’s colouring-in book

This gorgeous book uses Australian native animals to talk children through their emotions and experiences associated with the loss of a baby. Inside parents and children work through each page at a pace and stage appropriate to their family. 

My Brave Journey covers:

• What children might expect to see in a hospital
•  Normalising feelings and how to express them
•  Who to talk to when your feelings feel too big
•  How to say goodbye and remembering your sibling
•  How to tell your friends
•  A parent section on how to use the book and where to get further support.

* No minimum quantity to order

Family Assistance Program
(Direct Social Worker Order Only)

Having a baby in hospital long term or located far away from home can mean that parents are not only dealing with the stress of caring for a baby in hospital, but are also having to manage the financial pressures associated with travel, accommodation and food in order to spend precious time with their baby.

From day one, Life’s Little Treasures have been there for parents, hand delivering gifts and vouchers, offering support and doing whatever they could to make parents’ experiences more manageable. Today, as a Foundation, we run the Life’s Little Treasures Foundation Family Assistance Program which provides parents with food and fuel voucher to the value of $250, to ease some of the financial pressures so that they can concentrate on spending their time bonding and caring for their baby. There are so many families who need this support and that’s why we work closely with the social work teams within hospitals to ensure our services can help families as soon as they need it with the vouchers being distributed through our partnering hospitals to ensure that those that need it most are supported.

LLTF Breast Pump Program

We know first-hand that the stress of having a premature or sick baby can be significant. Having a baby is challenging enough in normal circumstances. More so when things don’t go according to plan. These are the times that families need the most support. 

For new parents starting and establishing their milk supply, there can be unforseen barriers that can make it difficult—especially for parents with babies in Neonatal Intensive Care units.

Parents of premature and sick babies often need to establish their milk supply using a breast pump whilst in hospital and then at home. If their baby is too unwell or underdeveloped to establish feeding directly at the breast, this can sometimes mean they are expressing milk for weeks, even months if their baby requires a long stay in hospital for medical care.

We are proud to launch our Breast Pump Program, presented by Medela. Thanks to our generous Partner, Medela, we will be gifting Medela Swing Maxi Double Electric Pumps to families in NICU who do not have access to a breast pump to help support them in their feeding journey in the NICU and beyond.