The George Herald, Pick n Pay and Eden FM have partnered for a special drive, the Newborn Trust, to raise funds for five new incubators for George Hospital, to the value of R350 000.
With an average of 20 babies in the unit, the incubators are not only used for premature babies, but for all sick babies in the hospital. Used in conjunction with Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), the incubators are an absolute necessity to help increase the chances of survival for premature babies.
Serving the whole Eden district, George Hospital has helped save the lives of babies from as far as Prince Albert, Beaufort West and Ladismith. According to the unit’s neonatologist, dr Ilse Els, the hospital receives about 500 entries at this unit per year. A total of 35% of all babies born in the George Hospital have a birth weight of under 1,5kg. One baby easily occupies an incubator for 60 days.
Little Charl Windvoël from Prince Albert was born at 28 weeks in November last year. His mom, Monica had to stay at the hospital to feed him eight millilitres of breast milk with a syringe every two hours. Weighing only 1,140kg at the time of our visit, he looked absolutely tiny in the incubator, but Monica is very happy since he has been steadily picking up weight and growing stronger every day.
However, just the day before the George Herald visited the unit, they lost two babies due to premature birth. The unit’s pastoral worker, Hentie Coetsee was counselling the parents at the time.
"Although you do absolutely everything you can to save their lives, one of the main reasons why babies die, is still due to premature birth," says Els.
To support the Newborns Incubator Drive, give a donation at any Pick n Pay till (there will be tins available) or make a donation to: Newborns Groote Schuur Trust, Cavendish, Claremont branch, account no: 104 652 5999, branch code: 104 609.
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Kangaroo Mother Care is one of the best methods to ensure the wellbeing of a premature baby.
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: MICHELLE PIENAAR
