Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our events all year, bought Christmas cards, and participated in the Christmas raffle – either through donating or purchasing tickets or both. We raised an amazing £702 for the Winnicott Foundation which more than met our 2010 target of doubling 2009′s amount and over the two years puts our donation at nearly £1,000.
I gave the money to Veronica from the Winnicott Foundation on Friday and she was overwhelmed by the support. She wanted me to pass on her thanks to everyone and sent us the following letter along with information about what the money could potentially be used for.
Dear Maida Vale Mums,
Thank you so much for your donation of £702.00 raised through your Christmas raffle. This donation is very important to us as it will allow us to continue to improve the service the Winnicott Baby Unit offers to premature babies and their families.
As you are aware, the Winnicott Baby Unit cares for 350 of the most critically ill and premature babies born in London each year. Its philosophy of parent involvement and baby centred care, combined with the support of the Winnicott Foundation helps babies to get better more quickly, go home sooner and have the best chance of a bright future.
Founded 23 years ago, the charity helps to make sure that each and every baby on the Winnicott Baby Unit receives the best possible care by purchasing sophisticated life-saving medical equipment, promoting breast-feeding, supporting parents so they can spend as much time as possible with their babies and funding staff training so that all our doctors and nurses are kept up-to-date on the latest developments in neonatal care techniques. We are also involved in supporting and promoting Developmental Care, an innovative system of individualised care designed to take its cues from observing the baby, minimise stress and involve the parents directly in their baby’s care from birth. Developmental care has been proven to speed up recovery times and aims to reduce or eliminate the long term complications of prematurity. St Mary’s Hospital is now home to the only Developmental Care training centre in the UK which is in huge demand by healthcare personnel across the country.
Your fundraising efforts will have a lasting impact in helping babies and families who need the Winnicott Baby Unit.
We would like to thank you on behalf of all the babies, families and staff on the unit, for your fundraising efforts.
Veronica Cooke
Charity Coordinator
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To get an idea of how our donation can be used, please have a look at the December 2010 Wish List for the Winnicott Foundation:
The Winnicott Foundation
Wish List
December 2010
The unit is in the process of making training DVDs for all procedures; different units carry out procedures in different ways, and with junior doctors changing units every 6 months it is important that they are able to carry out procedures within the guidelines of each hospital. The unit needs its own video camera to be able to create DVDs to aid training for specific procedures.
- Panasonic HDC-HS100EBK Full HD Camcorder: £650
- Welcome bags for all parents for a year, including cool bag, towel, book and pen: £3,500
- Cotton Vests, Incubator-Safe (t-shirt): £5.99 each
- Cotton Vests, Incubator-Safe (bodysuit): £9.99 each
- Cosycare “Unreal” Sheepskin (10 per case): £72.10 per case
- Kanga Carrier Shirt for Kangaroo Care: £27.93 each
- Kangaroo Care Tubes: £11.50 each
- Kari Me Light slings to carry and comfort babies: £37.00 each
- Nests for positioning and support (small; case of 12): £400.00 per case
- Nests for positioning and support (large; case of 12): £456.00 per case
- Zaky Hands, loppy beanbag hands which help babies to stay in a comfortable position: £18.00 each
- Reclining Chairs: £547.00 each
- Gel pillows with pillow cases to relieve pressure on a baby’s fragile head and increase comfort: £90 for a box of 6
- Digital Camera so that parents who are unable to visit their babies (often mothers who for health reasons must remain in the maternity unit) can have a regular photo of their baby’s first days: from £45.00
Books to lend to parents
- Kangaroo Babies: A Different Way of Mothering: £14.99
- The Wonder Weeks: Eight Predictable, Age-linked Leaps in your Baby’s Mental Development Characterized by the Three C’s: £14.99
- Touchpoints: £8.46
- Sent Before My Time: £20.99
Training Materials
- Breastfeeding DVD: Follow Me Mum by Rebecca Glover: £58.00
- Breastfeeding teaching charts: £9.50
- Positioning and attachment wall posters: £9.50
- Neonatal developmental care training DVDs: £630
- Vida training set: £500.00
- No Matter How Small DVDs for parents: £70.00 (pack of ten)
- Demonstration Dolls: £25
Parent support
- Quarterly charge for internet connection for parent room: £130
- Baby massage group for families who have left the unit: £240 a month
- Parent travel and accommodation costs: £150 a month
- Hand breast pumps for expressing mothers use at home: £1,000 a year
- Baby hand and footprint wipes and cards: £200 a year
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Look forward to seeing you in 2011!
