Charity Sewing For Preemies

I just received a wonderful email and wanted to share. Surprises are so wonderful. We had no idea this sewing group had been sewing for charity over the past year and their charity of choice was Preemie Prints! As soon as we receive the donation, I'll post pictures and more information about the amazing ladies who have been secret members of Preemie Prints Sew & Craft all year long!

Hi, Amber, I got your email by doing a search for charity sewing for preemies near Waco. About a year or so ago, I gave a presentation to a sewing group in Texas about charity sewing. I told them about different charity groups and categories of charity sewing, like preemies, homeless, animal shelter items, nursing homes, and gave them some free patterns I got off the Internet. I used to do charity sewing, but with my job I haven't done muchin the past few years I'm sad to say. 


However, recently that sewing group contacted me and said they had made a bunch of preemie items and asked me for the address again of where to send them. 


Can you tell me what address to give them to send their finished items? 


Sincerely,
Roxanne 


Later in the day another wonderful email popped up regarding our Project Linus partnership in the Brazos Valley. They have a donation ready for us of over 130 blankets for preemies!!! The kindness and support is absolutely amazing! So many babies and families will be blessed through these donations.

January NICU H.O.P.E. Meetings - Bryan College Station & Temple

We had a wonderful turnout this past weekend! Thank you to all moms and dads who attended the meetings. We look forward to seeing you all again in March.

We also want to say a special thank you to the students from Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity who attended our College Station meeting. They will be volunteering at our upcoming benefit concert on March 24th in Bryan College Station benefiting NICU families. Mark your calendars and plan to attend!

Yummy cake made by volunteer Mellissa Roy

Moms, dads, and NICU grads at the Temple Tx NICU H.O.P.E. meeting. Thank you to Applebees for sponsoring
this meeting with wonderful appetizers!

Dinner at BCS meeting

NICU family with their baby girl

Precious miracles

College Station meeting at The College Station Medical Center 1/20

member moms and NICU grads

At Home Water Therapy

A friend and member mom sent me one of the most interesting links that I have seen in a while. Something so easy for any family to try out and something that could help many babies who were born prematurely or critically ill.

I'm already an advocate for water therapy. The only time I felt really comfortable during my high risk pregnancy was when I was in the water. I was able to exercise and relax at the same time. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was extremely swollen with achey joints and being in the water was the only thing that made me feel better--both physically and emotionally. It relieved so much pressure and elevated my mood every time. When battling low tone muscles, CP, and other growth development issues water therapy seems like it could help preemies.

Waterway babies is a company specializing in aquatic therapy for babies and children. They provide some great information on why this therapy is beneficial and how it can help babies with developmental delays and other issues related to prematurity or a disability. Through their website you can purchase a system ("pool" and head float) for just about $100. Here is what the system looks like.



Facts about water therapy

Hydrotherapy (water healing) has been recognized as beneficial since the dawn of civilization.

Water neutralizes the effects of gravity enabling your child to move with less effort.

Water therapy will improve lung capacity and strengthens extremities (arms/hands/fingers and legs/feet/toes).

Hydrotherapy studies document beneficial effects such as enhanced physical/mental development, increased weight gain and should be considered as an adjunct to traditional treatment strategies.

Facts about preemies and high risk births

Any baby born before 37 weeks is at risk for “developmental delays.”

Twin or multi-birth babies are often born early and have lower birth weight, making them high risk.

Low birth weight (LBW or ELBW) is another risk factor for developmental delay.

Babies born between 32-37 weeks (the “barely” premature) have the highest incidence of learning disabilities once they start school.

Babies born between 23-28 weeks are at the highest risk for lifelong disabilities, such as cerebal palsy.

Birth trauma, birth injury, or any complication at birth increases the risk of neuromotor problems, such as seizures or ‘hypotonia’ (reduced muscle tone).

85% of brain development occurs during the first 3yrs of life – this provides an opportunity for water therapy to enhance a baby’s physical and mental development.

What is this system created to do?

Their website states that with as little as 20-30 minutes in the water every day, your baby will, through his or her own movements, increase muscle tone and improve ability to move, grow and develop … leading to:

greater flexibility and range of motion
more lung capacity
improved weight gain
better sleep patterns
increased stimulation to the brain and nervous system

Visit the website to learn more and read testimonials 

http://www.waterwaybabies.com/testimonials/

I think what I personally love the most about this idea is that it is something a parent can do at home with their baby every day to help their development. It also would be a very enjoyable and relaxing time for both baby and parents, making everyone feel better and reducing stress levels. If you already have a heated pool or a really big bathtub and don't need to purchase the whole system here is a link for just the head float.

If you are interested in leaning more about aquatic therapy visit this website, they do a great job explaining the different types of therapy, the benefits, and how to go about finding a therapist.

Please post a comment below if you have used this system before or have experience with water therapy for your baby or child.

Child Safety

We wanted to post about child seat safety and how important it is to get a child safety seat technician to inspect your child's seat! Especially when it comes to preemies. They are so tiny!! I know when we were discharged from the hospital it was mandatory but that is not the case for many hospitals. In any area you can ask to be referred to a technician to inspect the seat. 

Specifically if you live in the Bryan College Station area AgriLIFE EXTENSION can help!

To locate a Certified Child Safety Seat Technician in Your Area visit:

http://buckleup.tamu.edu

Make sure you are using your child's seat correctly!!

Preemie Prints Newsletters

Vol. 1 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/dpSXT
Vol. 2 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/eO5bU
Vol. 3 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/fNdMM
Vol. 4 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/haYQ2
Vol. 5 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/in6nk
Vol. 6 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/kMzH9
Vol. 7 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/nuKpL
Vol. 8 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/qLwBf
Vol. 9 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/uZXRj
Vol. 10 Preemie Prints Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/FvYaT

Preemie Prints NICU Graduate Photo Shoot: Baby Liam

Our organization with our volunteers, is so blessed to be able to give these amazing gifts to so many families. Please enjoy some inspirational photography of precious NICU graduate. 

A note from Preemie Prints & Liam's mom: 

When asked to describe her NICU journey a little bit she said, "roller coaster"!  

Liam was born at 25 weeks gestation. He currently weighs close to 16 pounds and is starting to sit up on his own. I am blessed to know this family personally and "roller coaster" is an understatement to their time spent in the NICU. This family inspires me on daily basis and is a true testament of faith, strength, and courage. I am so happy they have these precious family photos to treasure forever! ~Amber @ Preemie Prints

Volunteer Photographer: Kassi Cooper - College Station, TX

A note from our volunteer:

"I had so much fun with his family!! Liam is such a happy little guy! He was wonderful during the session and he pretty much did what we wanted him to! I had a great time getting to know them and hearing about Liam's journey. He's a fighter and you can tell how proud his parents are of him."

And now the beautiful pictures. These pictures are property of Preemie Prints, our volunteer photographers, and our families. Please do not use for any purpose. 

www.preemieprints.org

Christmas Quilts For The NICU

We wanted to share a few pictures from our Christmas Quilt deliveries to the Bryan College Station NICUs. These quilts were presented near the end of December to families who had babies in the NICU over Christmas. Thank you to the Preemie Prints Sew & Craft group for putting in so many hours to give these special gifts to many families!

St. Joseph's hospital delivery

Delivery to The Med, College Station TX

NICU mom with her quilt

Meals for Moms & Dads

Past & present NICU families in the Brazos Valley, Houston, or Temple areas please join us for one of our upcoming events! We have 3 meetings this month, hope to see you at one! Please RSVP to amber@preemieprints.org if possible.

For Those Grieving

Please Be Gentle

By Jill B. Englar

Please be gentle with me for I am grieving.

The sea I swim in is a lonely one

and the shore seems miles away.

Waves of despair numb my soul

as I struggle through each day.

My heart is heavy with sorrow.

I want to shout and scream

and repeatedly ask ‘Why?’

At times, my grief overwhelms me

and I weep bitterly,

so great is my loss.

Please don’t turn away

or tell me to move on with my life.

I must embrace my pain

before I can begin to heal.

Companion me through the tears

and sit with me in loving silence.

Honor where I am in the journey,

not where you think I should be.

Listen patiently to my story,

I may need to tell it over and over again.

It’s how I begin to grasp the enormity of my loss.

Nurture me through the weeks and months ahead.

Forgive me when I seem distant and inconsolable.

A small flame still burns within my heart,

and shared memories may trigger

both laughter and tears.

I need your support and understanding.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve.

I must find my own path.

Please, will you walk beside me?

NICU Photo Shoot: Baby Drew

Our organization with our volunteers, is so blessed to be able to give these amazing gifts to so many families. Please enjoy some inspirational photography from the NICU. We pray this baby boy is home soon. 

A note from Preemie Prints & Drew's mom: 

When asked to describe her NICU journey a little bit she said, "It's been an okay journey. We have had ups and downs almost lost him three times, but he has fought through it and is growing each day". 

Baby Drew was born 3 months premature and has encountered two different infections. This deserving family now has memories to treasure forever and to help in remembering this very difficult time that they are so beautifully overcoming together as a family. 

Volunteer Photographer: Caitlin Trantham - St. Louis, MO

A note from our volunteer:

"I had so much fun, and they were so sweet! I can't wait to go out again and photograph another family." Caitlin also said that Drew's mom had so many great ideas for the photos. It sounds like they all had a wonderful time. 

And now the beautiful pictures. These pictures are property of Preemie Prints, our volunteer photographers, and our families. Please do not use for any purpose. 

www.preemieprints.org

We hope you enjoyed please share and help to spread the word!