Just wanting to know what anyone else has done?

Kenisha - posted on 07/30/2010

That's a great idea!!!!

Susan - posted on 07/30/2010

We go back nearly every year to see the nurses and doctors. At holiday time, we give hand knitted hats and booties in preemie sizes that my mom, my cousin and friends make. For my daughter's Bat Mitzvah at age 13, we collected donations and bought positioning aids, nests, preemie clothes and info on early intervention services and donated it all to the NICU.

Kylie - posted on 07/30/2010

I wanted to do that too, but our unit is closing :-( So sad

Amalie - posted on 07/29/2010

hi everyone the party went great we raised just over $700.00 it was a great day..one friend gave me a lotto ticket an said if it wins donate the lot.... well it did $14,000 all donated every cent so happy for them

Pamela - posted on 06/27/2010

That is wonderful. Great idea. I donated my premie cothes and want to see if I can get other to give back to the NICU as well.

Amalie - posted on 06/26/2010

HI Elizabeth, No I don't mind at all. I received my invitations today they are just gorgeous it has 3 photos on them 3wks 5wks an 5mths..I'm so excited the kids will have so much fun Ive also invited the staff from the n.n.i.u Im hoping my favourite nurse turns up.. Haven't seen her since we left as I can't go back there I suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Ive even had to get other people to take my daughter to have her needles as I freak right out..

Liz - posted on 06/18/2010

That is a really fantastic idea. When I think of how great the nurses were in the NICU where my daughter spent 11.5 weeks, it seems like the perfect thing to do.

I hope you don't mind if I am inspired by your idea and do something similar in January 2011!

Kris - posted on 06/16/2010

I am hoping that I dont have to make diffrent meals for everyone when it comes time for me to start making meals for the kids. As of right now we do allow the girls to eat what we make but since they are still little and dont eat that much I dont even make them up a plate of their own. My son isnt allowed to eat much other then his formula at the moment bc he has swollowing problems but we are slowly working on getting him back in the habbit of taking things orally again. thats going to be an uphill battel with him bc when we have to give him meds orally he clamps his mouth shut and wont budge.

Amalie - posted on 06/16/2010

lol Thats $200 aweek so a month would be $800 3 bedroom would be $1300 amonth but Im in australia on the east coast... yeah but they learn to be patient my friends say Im the one thats very patient...lol dinner time is the only real time thats crazy around here as no one eats the same thing.. so ive tried the you eat what your given but they go to bed hungry an I can't do that so its about 3 different meals.. bath times can get crazy the 3yr old like to put water everywhere the 7yr old then yells while the 18yr old thinks its ok to tell them to shut up..an the 11month old has now learnt to yell high pitched. Then the husband walks in from training an joins in.. hes the fun guy that lets them make the mess....

Kris - posted on 06/16/2010

WOW where do you live that you can rent a 2bedroom house for around $200? Bc where I come from we are paying $745 a month for a 3bedroom apt. I think you have your handsful with having 4children. Even with them being spaced out. My husband and I both feel that it would be harder to have them diffrent ages then them being the same age. Bc they would all have diffrent wants and needs. Like if you have say a 7yrs old and he wants to watch tv and wants some eggs to eat, then you have a 4yr old and he wants mommy to play with him and wants an p,b&j but your busy trying to change your newborn baby and then you need to breast feed the new baby. We both just think it would harder. I am not trying to say taking care of triplets is easy by any means. its just for the most part they are all on the same page for wants and needs. Here in a couple yrs if we are luck we would like to add one more little one to our little family. Then we will find out what its like to have children of diffrent ages.

Amalie - posted on 06/16/2010

wow Kris triplets your hands must be full, I have 3 other children but thankfully a couple of yrs between them. Its still full on but not like you...Only in the last year our shops have started to stock premmi an micro premmi clothes but what gets me I can buy a newborn jumpsuit for around $7 but if i want a premmi one Im looking at $36 its a huge difference in price.. I think I got 6 outfits for $196 almost the cost of renting a 2 bedroom house...

Kris - posted on 06/15/2010

It sure sounds like she is going to have a wounderful birthday. I wish I had the time to be able to do something like this for our NICU. But with triplets I dont even have enough time to take a shower everyday. I know what you mean, while we were at the NICU last yr we were told that all the clothes kept getting stolen. I just cant believe that people would steel from little helpless babies. I wish I had a talent for making blankets or something so I could at least make things and donate them along with the mico premee and reg premee clothes. The mico premee clothes are very hard to come by. we had to specail order them and they have a limted amount of them at the NICU that my babies were at. They said that most babies that they see only need the reg permee sizes which fit babies that are over 2lbs. each of my little ones were slighlty around 1 and half lbs. so they were not able to wear clothes for a couple weeks until their skin nolonger was transparent and thin as paper. So beings that they didnt even have the mico clothes and we had to order them I know they are always in need of them. I hope for countuined luck with rasing funds.

Amalie - posted on 06/14/2010

Yes Ive donated knitted cardigans as many go missing from the nicu... why anyone would steal from there of all place's I don't know.. our nicu is very run down it very old an got no funding when the last lot was handed out so they really need this money. After posting on F/B that I was doing this I received cheques from people I dont even know.. we might even reach between $5,000 & $10,000 that would be great...
Ive had so much fun planning this I can't wait we have gone with the princess theme she even has a big pink castle as a pinyata (spelt wrong) we have princess bags for all the girls real hand bags with Dora necklaces & earrings. fair wands,crystal tiaras,

Kris - posted on 06/13/2010

What the nurses at our NICU asked us to be was once our babies had outgrown their micor-premie clothes was to donate them to the NICU. Bc they dont have enough of them. Also to write a letter telling our story about our triplets that can be copied and passed around the the current NICU parents. This way they are able to read about a story about a baby/babies that really needed help and how great they are now doing. I know this really helped my husband and I greatly. It gave us encouragement. Also we were told that if we had the money to donate that its always welcomed to donate to the NICU or the hospital itself. but they encouraged us to donate more to the march of dimes. Bc they are the ones who are working hard on resurch on how to treat and prevent premiture births. My babies ever were enrolled in study on how to resusate (I know I didnt spell that right)(but its what they do to make and help the babies birth at brith when they are not doing it on their own.) anyways they have a couple diffrent methods on how to do it. With this study they were trying to find out which method works better for greater results later on with babies. I think what you are doing is great. My triplets where 26wks1day and they are now going to be 15months on the 24th and will be gestationally a yr old on the 29th.

Natalie - posted on 06/11/2010

my girl was in the neo natal unit for 6 weeks and when we left i bought 2 big baskets of nuts and lollies and sweets for the day shift and for the night shift. i also bought the midwife who helped me through the trauma of leaving my baby in hosp and dealing with my loser ex a beautiful bracelet. for the unit i donated all skys clothes as she out grew them and have also encourage others to give clothes and blankets to the unit too.

Ashley - posted on 06/10/2010

I think that's a wonderful idea! My son spent 5 weeks in the N.I.C.U.

Amy - posted on 06/10/2010

That sounds wonderful. My son was born 9 weeks early and spent 5 1/2 weeks in the NICU. He now is 8 years old and doing fabulous. God has truly blessed us on that end. The NICU unit that we were in was fabulous, so to say thank you, I have taken cookies, cakes, brownies and kleenexes to the unit anytime I was going to that area. It's been 8 years and although I do not do it as often as I did, we still take suprises to them through out the year. They love it, and really appreciate the suprises. The kleenexes are always a big hit and needed b/c the staff purchases those themselves. I also have and embroidery machine and they would provide little fleece blankets which I would put each child's first name and a tiny pair of feet on the corner of each blanket. It became a great suprise for the parents to come in and see. I no longer do this, due to the fact one of the nurses got her own machine and with 3 children, and activities at church my life is crazy. I hope you have a thrilling birthday for your daughter and good luck.

Pip - posted on 06/08/2010

Good luck it sounds awesome. It's nice to give back, show appreciation and thanks. Great that you guys feel that way. We got a real shock going through the NICU and as our twins had to have several blood transfusions we as a family started to donate our blood. We line up every 3 mths, even my eldest boy has begun to donate as he is over 16. We hope we help someone or a preemie out every time we line up. It makes us feel like we are giving back, which feels good.

Amalie - posted on 06/06/2010

Thanks guy's its turning into a really big affair we have a hall & jumping castle,games clowns,fairies,snow cone's,face painting everything a kid could wish for every girl take's home a hand bag full of presents & the boy's have car's & video game all donated by people that heard what I was doing... I can't wait it's going to be a celebration of life hope for other's an a really great community pulling together.

Nicole - posted on 06/05/2010

Fantastic idea! What a great way to mark her first birthday.

Emily - posted on 06/04/2010

That is an AWESOME idea.

Jennifer - posted on 06/04/2010

Since my son's premature birth we have been involved with March of Dimes, mostly doing the Walk for Babies every year. This past fall for his baby brother's shower we also asked that in lue of gifts for family and friends to please contribute to March of Dimes and raised about 100 dollars. We had several friends and family who were out of town and unable to attend but they still contributed online. It was nice, we felt good because we were happily using hand me downs so additional baby things were just not needed. You might do something where people can write a little gift note or hang a "leaf" on a money tree or such, then you will have thier well wishes as a special keep sake! Enjoy the time, believe me it has blown by, my tiny little preemie is FOUR!

Melysa - posted on 06/04/2010

sounds awesome hope the day is a huge success and that your little one continues to grow happier and stronger and healthier before your very eyes it is lovely to hear about such loving grateful parents