17 NOVEMBER – WORLD DAY OF PREMATURITY

2016 – we celebrate 10 years since Baby Care Sibiu Association was founded

Baby Care Association Sibiu is a nongovernmental, nonprofit, nonpolitical organization, exclusively based on volunteering, organized by the Neonatology Ward of the Emergency County Hospital Sibiu in 2006 at the initiative of the ward’s staff.

Baby Care Association Sibiu had and still has as main purpose treatment in the best conditions and safety of newborns and premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Emergency County Hospital Sibiu. We wish to:

– improve the care given to newborns by ensuring the needed medical equipment

– ensure the quality and safety of care and treatment given to newborns (oxymeters, cerebral oxymetry monitors, specialized services, etc.)

– ensure sanitary materials and supplies required for intensive care of newborns and premature babies

– support the families whose children are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit

– educate the parents for a healthy and harmonious development of the children

– educate the medical staff for offering the most modern treatment and therapy to children hospitalized in neonatal intensive care and also to support  their families.

The Maternity Ward of the Emergency County Hospital Sibiu is one of the 11 regional maternity hospitals in Romania and provides highly specialized neonatal care for premature and sick newborns from Sibiu, Alba and even from Valcea County. Due to the results obtained in the last years, our clinic is among the first in the country, the mortality rate – 4.6/1,000 live births (2016) – is well below the national average. We also have a good rate of survival of premature infants with smaller gestational ages – from 24 weeks and 600 g birth weight. Every year in the maternity ward are being cared over 2,700 children and about 250-300 children are treated every year in the neonatal intensive care unit. Neonatal intensive care unit is the place where, with experience, professionalism and skill, medical staff helped by modern equipment for treatment and monitoring assist the babies born prematurely or with various problems at birth to survive in the best conditions. It is the “core of fire” of each neonatology unit, the place where parent’s hopes to take home a healthy child should become reality. We now have not only a modern and well equipped neonatal intensive care unit with modern medical equipment (incubators, cardio-respiratory monitors, respiratory support machines, oxymeters, infusion pumps, etc.) but also a hearted team of nurses and physicians witch does every effort for the benefit of their patients and, as such, better and better results: smaller rate of mortality, nosocomial infections, complications of neonatal intensive care.

 Baby Care Association Sibiu – 10 years of activity:

Over 450,000 lei invested in modern medical equipment

• 1 ultrasound machine
• 3 incubators
• 7 pulseoxymeters
• 3 beds with warm water mattresses
• 2 neonatal blood pressure monitors
• 1 cerebral oxymetry monitor
• 1 modern neonatal ventilator
• 2 lamps for phototherapy
• 2 transcutaneous bilirubinometers
• 3 oxymeters
• 4 oxygen-air blenders

Over 150,000 lei invested in supplies, laboratory reagents, bed clothes for mothers and children, furniture, washing machines, solar protection systems, refrigerators, etc.

Baby Care Association Sibiu – Activities and projects developed:

2006-2012

• campaigns to collect 2% of the income tax from the maternity employees, funds used to buy soft materials (especially bed clothes) and supplies for all the newborns admitted in the maternity in order to “humanize” the appearance of the wards
• arranging and furnishing the Follow –up room for newborns at risk, destined to monitor growth and development of  premature and ill babies at risk for neurological and development sequel
• furnishing the neonatal resuscitation point in the delivery room

2013

• “A dream, a hope, a life” – Partners: Maini Unite and E.M.M.A. Association – Sibiu Semimarathon – 26,225.38 lei
• 15 breathing circuits for newborns – 10,000 lei
• supplementing the amount needed to purchase a modern ultrasound machine
• “Today a preterm, tomorrow a champion! Fight for Life “- partner: Sibiu Rally Team – at  Sibiu Rally – 8,850.00 lei and 85 euro – used to purchase the ultrasound machine
• “June 1 – the Day of neonatal intensive care unit graduates” – first meeting of the graduates and their families with unit staff and their families – Ghiocelul pension
• “World Day of prematurity” November 17- prematurity and it’s affects awareness campaign together with Ofelia Popii, Radu Nechifor, Nicolle Stanese- association ambassadors- , Sabin Luca, Silvia Macrea, Anca Marginean, Ciprian Scurtea, Adrian Matioc, Ioan Bojin, Teodor Tulpan- 4,122.00 lei and 20 euro- used to purchase the ultrasound machine
• “Be better, be Santa Claus”- December 21- partner: Carrefour Sibiu- 5,404.00 lei used for acquisition of the ultrasound machine
• Online informing campaigns about Spina Bifida and Down syndrome

2014

• “We give the start in life”- at Sibiu’s Semimarathon- partners: Maini Unite and E.M.M.A Association- 46,283.40 lei: 1 incubator – 36,952.0 lei, 1 pulseoxymeter and 200 pulseoxymetry sensors – 18,104.0 lei
• Second meeting of the neonatal intensive care unit graduates and their families with unit staff and their families – Ghiocelul Pension
• World Prematurity Day; November – report on prematurity – with the help of Sibiu Mayor Office on November 17, 2014, Sibiu was one of the four cities in Romania that allied to international associations that celebrate World Prematurity Day
• online informing campaign on congenital malformations (January)
• online informing campaign on breastfeeding and the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child – “Breastfeeding is the best! Protect your child for life! “(August)
• online informing campaign on prematurity and the consequences of prematurity (November)

2015

• “We give the start in life” – at Sibiu’s Semimarathon. Partners: Maini Unite and E.M.M.A. Associations – 57,758.00 lei – used to purchase a cerebral and somatic oximetry monitor
• “Waiter for one day for children” – Daniel Baltat, Upstairs Cafe
• “Waiter for one day for children” – Gabriela Stănescu Hila and Eliza Bara, Pardon Cafe & Bistro
• “Small and big climbers for the little fighters” – Hiking journey organized by Iulian Pănescu
• “You eat, Rubin donates” – Rubin Restaurant, Nicolle Stănese, Radu Nechifor
• “November 17 – World Day of prematurity” – photographic project and video editing conducted by Daniel Baltat, Adina and Radu Postatny, Dana Gogoasa, Catalina Flamanzeanu, Victor Dumitrescu and Florin Bădilă
• “Santa Claus is a photographer” – the little babies but especially mothers of premature babies from neonatal intensive care unit and preterm ward were visited by Santa Claus – Ioana Scăunaş and other 20 mothers and received photos of their children.
• Library for preterm baby mothers – donations of books for the mothers of long time hospitalized preterm babies

2016

• “ABC – Parents School. Learning about children “- project supported by Save the Children Romania, partnership with Maini Unite, Emergency County Hospital Sibiu, Unii pentru Altii Association, Gong Theater – monthly educational sessions for healthy pregnancy, mother and child  dedicated to future parents
• “We give the start in life” – at Sibiu Semimarathon – partners Maini Unite, E.M.M.A. and Unii pentru Altii Association – 89,263.00 lei – used to purchase a modern neonatal ventilator and two modern lamps for phototherapy
• “Congenital heart malformations screening by pulseoximetry” – project supported by Red Bull Romaniacs
• Campaigns for collecting 2% of individual income tax and 20% of income tax for companies.
• November 17 – World Day of prematurity – anniversary show organized in partnership with Maini Unite, Gong Theater, Junii Sibiului, Sibiu Gift Art, Tribuna paper
• Association’s website: babycaresibiu.ro (November).

Baby Care Association Sibiu – partnerships:

• Maini Unite Association Sibiu – 2013
• M.M.A. Organization- 2013
• Community Foundation Sibiu – 2013
• Unii pentru Altii Association – 2015
• Emergency County Hospital Sibiu – 2015
• Save the Children Romania – 2015
• Gong Theater – 2015
• Tribuna – 2016.

Baby Care Association Sibiu – Ambassadors:

• Nicolle Stănese – journalist
• Radu Nechifor – musician
• Ofelia Popii – actress
• Teodor Tulpan – alpinist
• Oana Jurj – mother of premature twins
• Daniel Bălţat – photographer
• Chloe Anna Pinter – extreme premature baby (600g).
• Iulian Pănescu – mountain guide

Baby Care Association Sibiu – collaboration

Unu si Unu Association Bucharest- an organization of parents of babies born prematurely with whom we collaborated for the Premature Babies Parents Guide

• ECFNI – European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants – Mixed European organization – parents and professionals with whom we have collaborated on the development of European protocols for premature baby care.

What are our future plans?

We want to continue equipping the neonatal intensive care unit with modern equipment. We wish we could do the same for the premature baby ward where incubators and equipment are over 30 years old and where monitors are not enough. We do not forget that all these equipment is aging and must be replaced at a time.

We still need: incubators for premature babies, modern neonatal ventilators (to help premature babies and newborns with respiratory problems), cardio-respiratory monitors, blood gases analyzer, and pulseoxymeters (continuously monitoring the cardiac rhythm, breathing and oxygen concentration in the blood and tissues especially given that the medical staff employed is today still insufficient) lamps for phototherapy (treatment of jaundice), ultrasound machine (to detect congenital abnormalities and complications of prematurity and perinatal diseases), special equipment to allow  analysis of very small amounts of blood to avoid anemia and blood transfusions.

We have several new projects and ideas for parents of these children. We want to continue major projects such as education for the health of the pregnancy, mother and child – “ABC – Parents School. Learning about children” and expand this project together with Save the Children Romania in other cities and in rural areas by printing brochures and training community and social workers.