Geelong families join forces to share premmie baby experiences and challenges

A Norlane bub spent 263 days in hospital after being born. His mum is now joining forces with other parents of premature babies.

Danni Menzies with daughter Evelyn, centre, has organised a premature baby play group for other mums including Emily Burke and daughter Phoebe and Simantha Nation with son Atticus. Picture: Brad Fleet

Ventilators, feeding tubesand the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have been a big part of Warwick Nation’s first year of life.

Known as Atticus, he was born 14 weeks premature and spent more than 260 days in NICU.

Norlane mum Simantha Nation was 26 weeks pregnant when her baby was born by caesarean on February 23, 2023, weighing 807g at Mercy Hospital.

“Since his lungs weren’t fully developed he had chronic long disease which was quite devastating,” she said.

Atticus was transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital to be put on a machine that breathes for a baby at a faster rate than other ventilators, which Mrs Nation said saved his life.

“He is such a strong, happy baby but we almost lost him a couple of times,” she said.

Warwick Atticus Nation weighed 807g when he was born 14 weeks premature.

Mrs Nation said Atticus had a tracheostomy to help him breath and a feeding tube through his nose.

“When they did try to get food through his mouth his stomach couldn’t handle it,” she said.

“When he threw up he didn’t know how to deal with it so he breathed all the milk into his lungs and they told us that he might not survive that.”

Mrs Nation said it was isolating to spend so much time in the hospital, particularly when restrictions were still enforced.

She said she was looking forward to a new playgroup starting in Geelong next week that would bring together parents and babies who had spent time in the NICU.

“With this play group, it’s about having people who understand your experience, because as much as you can talk about it with friends and family they don’t understand the trauma we went through,” she said.

“It’ll be incredible to talk about experiences with other parents and be able to understand all the medical things as well.”

During his 260 days in NICU Warwick Atticus Nation was intubated and extubated, had an NG tube and tracheostomy, and used a CPAP machine and JET machine to stay alive.

Winchelsea mum Danni Menzies is the driving force behind the group starting in Geelong.

“My daughter Evelyn was a NICU baby, we spent 130 days in hospital and we got discharged and didn’t have anyone to connect to who had been through the same experience,” she said.

“The concept of the playgroup, called Nuture Groups, is from a foundation called Miracle Babies.

“It’s for families who have been separated from their child at birth due to sickness or prematurity.”

Mrs Menzies said the group would meet fortnightly at no cost on a Thursday at the Grovedale Community Hub.

“The reason I did it was because when we were in hospital we had an amazing village supporting us and then you get discharged and its like you have to figure it out on your own,” she said.

“The purpose is to support each other and build a community of families who have experienced the same things.”

Originally published as Geelong families join forces to share premmie baby experiences and challenges