What you can do in the NICU
What you can do in the NICU
Our mission is to support and educate Canadian families of premature babies every step of the way – before, during and after their NICU stays.
Our vision is to create a brighter future for all premature babies and those who care for them.
Introducing Preemi™, the stuffie made just for premature babies. Learn more here.
On World Prematurity Day, be part of raising awareness about prematurity and supporting premature babies and their families.
November 17th
Join us on this special live session, at 1pm EST.
We will discuss the importance of skin-skin-to-skin contact from the moment of birth, learn the results of a study about uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for stable preterm infants after birth; discuss how to reduce stress and worry as a parent, and go through a mother's experience with two premature babies within two years.
Meet our host and speakers.
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Jenna Morton
Host
Jenna Morton is a New Brunswick-based journalist and mom to three NICU graduates, including twin boys who were born at 32 weeks after a life-saving twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome surgery at 20 weeks.
She runs her own digital media company and is the host/producer of several preemie-related podcasts (With You in the NICU, NeoChats, and Small Brains, Big Dreams).
She is frequently asked for commentary by local and national media, having been featured in Today’s Parent, The Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, Global, CTV, CBC Radio, and more.
Jenna has organized past World Prematurity Day events in Moncton, volunteered in a veteran parent peer support role, and sits on the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation’s Family Advisory Committee.
Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo
Guest Speaker
Topic:
The Together Study: Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for stable preterm infants after birth.
Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mother and baby following birth is common for term infants.
This practice, associated with optimal health outcomes and enhanced patient experience, is well aligned with the Baby Friendly Initiative and is in keeping with current best practices regarding maternal newborn care. Despite similar benefits, this practice is not currently being offered to stable preterm infants.
Most of this population is transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), immediately, or very shortly, after birth.
This presentation will review the steps taken to facilitate infants born between 32- and 35-weeks gestational age, considered medically stable, to remain in skin-to-skin contact with their mothers for two hours following birth, prior to admission to the NICU.
Bio:
Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo is a neonatal nurse practitioner, a clinician scientist, and a Full Professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University. She holds cross-appointments in the Department of Pediatrics, Psychology, and Neuroscience.
Her Canada Foundation of Innovation funded research lab, MOM-LINC (Mechanisms, Outcome and Mobilization of Maternally-Led Interventions to Improve Newborn Care) is located at the IWK Health Centre.
She primarily holds grants examining maternally-led interventions to improve outcomes of medically at-risk newborns specifically related to pain, stress, and neurodevelopment as well as novel knowledge synthesis and dissemination methods, and digital e-heath interventions aimed at enhancing parental engagement.
Silke Mader
Guest Speaker
Topic:
A parent’s embrace: a powerful therapy.
Enable Skin-to-skin contact from the moment of birth.
Bio:
Silke Mader has been a passionate and influential advocate for maternal and newborn health for over 20 years.
As a former patient with HELLP syndrome and mother of preterm babies at week 25 (twin boy survived at 515 grams, twin girl passed away), she built on all of her personal experience to improve care for parents, preterm babies, and sick newborns.
This led to establishing EFCNI – European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants in Munich in 2008, where she acts as Chairwoman and founding member.
Some of the major achievements of the foundation include the establishment of World Prematurity Day, the development as well as the implementation of The European Standards of Care for Newborn Health, and the founding of the Global Alliance for Newborn Care (GLANCE).
Silke Mader is author and editor of many publications on topics related to maternal and newborn health. She has received several national and international awards and medals for her work.
Denise Marek
Guest Speaker
Topic:
A Parent’s Guide to Reducing Stress and Worry
Parenting can be stressful! The good news is that you can stress less by learning to worry wisely. In this session, you’ll discover three simple cures to end “what if” thinking and a proven four-step process to move you from worry-filled to worry-free so your parenting experience will feel happier, more present, and less stressed.
Bio:
Denise Marek is internationally known as the Worry Management Expert and the creator of the CALM methodology for worry-free living. As a sought-after lecturer, consultant, and writer, Denise equips individuals around the globe with strategies to reduce stress, worry less, and bounce back from adversity.
Denise is the author of CALM for Moms: Worry Less in Four Simple Steps (Familius, November 2022) and CALM: A Proven Four-Step Process Designed Specifically for Women Who Worry (Hay House, 2006). She also teaches CALM Online, an online training program that provides strategies to let go of worry, reduce stress, and create a happier life.
She lives in Ontario, Canada. Denise is the mother of Lindsay and Brianna and the grandmother of Adrian, Azia, and Forest.
Janeeta Gill
Guest Speaker
Topic:
The Power of Connection
Two premature babies within two years. A look at both of these NICU experiences pre, present, and post pandemic with a focus on connections in the NICU.
Bio:
Mom to 27 weeker Jack and 35 weeker Jett. She and her husband spent a total of 6 months in the NICU within 2 years.