“Tiny Treasures” Packing Event a Big Success!

The Tiny Miracles Foundation began the Tiny Treasures Program at Stamford Hospital in April of 2005. Over the years, they have expanded their programs and they now pack 1600 bags for distribution to Danbury, Norwalk, Bridgeport and Stamford Hospitals through out the year. Terri Dusch of Westport, who is a mother of child born prematurely and board member of TTMF, spearheaded the “Tiny Treasures” packing event this year. “No one plans to have a preemie. When a baby comes early, as a parent, you feel so anxious and unprepared,” said Terrie “It absolutely breaks your heart having to leave your baby at the hospital each evening.” Remembering this same unease, the volunteers of The Tiny Miracles Foundation (TTMF), developed the Tiny Treasures Program Welcome and Home Care bags to provide educational and emotional support, and hard to find supplies to parents of babies born in Fairfield County. The idea for the Tiny Treasures welcome gift and home care kit came from the core of TTMF’s mission of helping families with premature infants in Fairfield County. The Welcome Bags are given to parents upon their arrival in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The gift includes a Snoedel doll, designed to retain the mothers’ scent, preemie-sized clothing that will still allow access for various medical equipment, and breast milk storage supplies for pumping mothers. “Our hope is to facilitate bonding between mother and baby during the NICU stay,” said Cheryl Egan, TTMF long time Board member and volunteer of Darien. “After extended hospitalizations in NICUs, parents of preemies often worry about taking their tiny infants home. Preemie parents often do not know what supplies they will need to care for their preemies’ special needs, and least of all, where to find these supplies. “Parents are often terrified and overwhelmed at the prospect of caring for babies that until now have required a team of medical experts and a battery of equipment. The home care kit is designed to ease parents’ concerns as they transition home from the NICU with their babies,” said Gwen Noto of Fairfield, Executive Director and co-founder of TTMF. The Tiny Treasures home care starter kit contains everything from special pacifiers, nipples, bottles, diapers, booties, swaddles, and clothing to hand-knitted hats and medication dosage syringes specifically designed for premature infants. The kits also include information about where parents can obtain more of the enclosed items and descriptions of resources available to parents caring for premature babies at home. Tiny Treasures donors/sponsors this year included: Westy’s Storage of Norwalk, Summer Infant, InkHead.com, The March of Dimes, Kushies, Bird & Cronin, Inc., Rockabye Baby, Philips Healthcare/Respironics, Hank & Jojo, Pampers, Neosure/Abbott Nutrician, Executive Printing of Darien, Preemie-Yums Inc. and Revlon.