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Every year, the newborn babies at Magee-Women's Hospital in Pennsylvania, wake up on Christmas morning swaddled in stockings.The festive surprise is weeks in the making, with local volunteers enlisted to hand-knit red, white and green hats to ensure the children's first Christmas is a special one (see top photo gallery below).
In Australia meanwhile, hospitals around the country are busy preparing for a joyful festive season.Here's what's planned at Melbourne'sRoyal Women’s Hospital, Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane,theRoyal Hospital for Women in Sydney, and Adelaide'sWomen’s and Children’s Hospital.
Magee-Women's Hospital, Pittsburgh
Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania swaddle their Christmas newborns in stockings
A group of volunteer knitters make caps for both the newborn babies and the hospital's oncology patients
The maternity ward does something special every year
Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania swaddle their Christmas newborns in stockings
Sydney
At Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women, Christmas came early this year with a visit from Kris Kringle.
With tinsel decking the halls of the maternity ward, former and present patients got dressed up and had the opportunity to take a photo with Santa.
The event was part of an annual fundraising effort that this year collected $2,000 to help buy equipment like ventilators for the Newborn Intensive Care Unit.
The hospital’s CEO Catherine Oates Smith tells SBS: “It's heartwarming to see babies go home at Christmas with their families. If babies aren't well enough to go home we are so pleased to bring Santa to them.”
“Around Christmas time many mums and dads visit the hospital with their babies, and choose to make a donation to The Foundation to thank a midwife or doctor who helped their family," says Oats Smith. "The hospital cares for 600 premature babies every year. What could be more precious than saving a baby's life this Christmas?”
The Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney
Christmas came to Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women earlier this month for their annual 'Santa at The Royal' day
Tinsel decked the halls of the maternity ward
Melbourne
Meanwhile in Melbourne, young mum Tenille Koistinenwill be spending her first Christmas at home with her twin boys Tate and Jobe, after they were born 11 weeks premature in November 2015.
Weighing less than an average full-term baby together, the boys had to spend two months - which included all of the festive season -at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.
“They were born six weeks before Christmas Day so I was always hopeful that they may come home before Christmas, but it wasn’t to be for us,” Koistinentells SBS.
There was however, “lots of support and lots of love that was brought to us when the boys were there”, with the staff decorating the rooms and volunteers knitting tiny red and green beanies and cardigans.
“We also had one of the nurses dress up as Santa on Christmas Day and take a photo with the boys in her arms so they had their first photo with Santa, and I was able to bring in a Christmas tree so we were really able to make their space feel as homely as they could.”
Almost a year later, the boys are doing well and are now looking forward to spending this festive season together.
“It definitely will be a celebration of how far they’ve come since last year, it’s been the longest year but we’re so grateful to have them with us,” Koistinensays.
Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne
Twins Tate and Jobe spent last Christmas in hospital after they were born 11 weeks early
Together the boys weighed less than an average full term newborn
They celebrated their first birthday last month and now look forward to their first Christmas at home
A spokesperson for theRoyal Women’s Hospitaltells SBS that they are expecting to have between 40 and 60 babiesin their Neonatal Intensive Care this Christmas. They expect a further 30 women will be in the labour ward "receiving an extra special Christmas present".
One of the midwives on hand to bring them into the world will be Associate Unit Manager Samantha Peddle, who has worked in the Royal Women's birthing unit for five out of the past six Christmases, and tells SBS it's always a busy day.
“A lot of women think, 'oh it’s Christmas Day, surely my baby will wait', but it’s surprising how many babies choose to come on Christmas Day," Peddle says.
"When the families come in, many are in shock that they’ve gone into labour and then reality sets in and there’s this overwhelming feeling of excitement. Christmas is truly all about families so for us to help and get involved and share the experience with families is so special."
Peddle usually celebrates the holiday with her own family in the Gippsland on Boxing Day, but makes sure to bring the festivities to the hospital on the 25th.She says the staff love getting dressed up and bringing in all sorts of food and baked goods for the occasion - and they aren't the only ones.
"Last year we had a whole Lebanese family come in after their niece had had a baby and they set up the birthing room full of Christmas food," she recalls, "We all rolled out the door afterwards, they were incredibly generous with their food!"
Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne
At the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, the midwives in the birthing unit dress up every Christmas
Midwife Samantha Peddle (left) is caring for new mum Chelsea Fitzpatrick and her little Santa Hayden this week
Brisbane
Many of the babies in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit of Brisbane'sMater Mothers Hospital, won't be able to spend their first Christmas at home with their families, but the nurses who care for them are trying to make the day a special one nevertheless.
They've been busymaking Santa sacks, Christmas stockings and hand-sewn teddy bears for the babies and plan on taking an inking of each newborn's footprints on Christmas Eve to put in a personalised card.
One of the nurses in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit, Vera Paramonov, hasmade over 1,200 stockings for the newborns over the years andalso helps organise and distribute the gifts that are donated to the hospital.
Special Care Nurse Unit ManagerRita Houghton tells SBS; “We look after these babies every single day and they become like our family.”
“We do this job because we’re here for the families and want to make their Christmas a special time," says Houghton.
"Past families of theNeonatal Critical Care Unithave kept special mementos from when they came in to see their baby on Christmas morning, and now repay the favour by providing similar gifts for current families – it’s lovely to be part of that.”
Around 10,000 babies are born at Mater Mothers every year and theNeonatal Critical Care Unitlooks after 2,000 sick and premature babies.
Mater Mother's Hospital, Brisbane
Nurses Vera Paramonov, Donna Baker and Sam Burt (L-R) have been knitting and packaging tiny bears for the babies staying at Mater Mother's over Christmas
Students from Calamvale Community College have been making Christmas stockings to hang on the ends of the cribs in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit
Last Christmas, two sisters donated hand-knitted quilts to the Neonatal Critical Care Unit for the babies who wouldn't be able to go home to their families
Adelaide
At theWomen’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, a number of events are held to ensure children and families who aren't able to be at home over the festive season still have a special Christmas.
This year, it all kicked offwith a visit fromthe Credit Union Christmas Pageant clowns and the hospital's annual Premature Babies’ Christmas Party which both took placelast month.
A spokesperson from the hospital tells SBS that the latter is designed"to celebrate the remarkable lives" of babies who are born between 10 and 16 weeks prematurely.
"This celebration is a wonderful opportunity for neonatal staff to reconnect with the families they have cared for and to promote the importance of early child development among the hospital’s most vulnerable infants," the spokesperson says.
The festivities continued last week with the South Australian Police coming to visit along with Santa, his elves and some Star Wars characters. While on December 23, Father Christmas will be back to deliver donated gifts to the children's ward
(SBS)
