As expectant parents prepare for their baby’s arrival, many look forward to the milestones ahead – first smile, first step, first birthday, and countless others. Few would imagine that a graduation day could be among those early firsts, but at Netcare Unitas Hospital it is becoming a treasured celebration, complete with tiny, sleepy graduates and very proud parents.
“In cases where a newborn needs intensive care, sometimes for months, it can be a very difficult reality for the parents who were so eagerly looking forward to taking their baby home,” says Sr Juanita Coetzee, unit manager of the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Sr Coetzee explains that she and her colleagues wanted to acknowledge the moment a baby is finally discharged, and they found a meaningful way to do so in a graduation photograph.
| The whole van Rensburg family came to celebrate the graduation of baby Lene, pictured here wearing one of the special little caps and gowns handmade by team members at Netcare Unitas Hospital’s NICU to mark the day a baby gets to go home. |
| Baby Milani Phatudi, born at 36 weeks, capped, gowned and ready to go home with proud parents Shirley and Pelane at the Netcare Unitas Hospital NICU. |
“For many families, the NICU journey is a long one, with some babies born weighing just a few hundred grams and remaining in our care for months. During this time, we become very attached to our little patients and form close bonds with their parents.
“We often stay in touch long after a baby has been discharged, with some staff members even being invited to these children’s birthday parties years later. It is a special connection formed during a challenging time for families, and we wanted to honour that by celebrating one of the biggest milestones of all – the day a baby goes home for the very first time,” she says.
According to Sr Coetzee, the idea of a baby graduation photo quickly caught on among unit staff and doctors, who pulled together to bring it to life, with some even making the tiny graduation outfits by hand.
Dr Marleen Engelbrecht, a paediatrician who practises at Netcare Unitas Hospital, put her crochet skills to use, creating tiny graduation caps from a pattern she designed herself. She even planned for twins or triplets, making caps in different sizes to fit the little graduates.
Another member of this close-knit team, Sr Sophia Badenhorst, a registered nurse, took a similar approach, powering up her sewing machine to create miniature graduation gowns in a range of sizes. The caps and gowns are kept at the ready for the next little graduate’s big day and are washed after each use to maintain the unit’s strict hygiene standards.
| Eloise and Marc-Anthony Pietersen, eager to take baby Briah home at last after she spent the first three weeks of her life in the NICU. |
| The big day arrives for baby Briah Pietersen, a sleepy little graduate at the Netcare Unitas Hospital NICU. |
“We fall in love with these little babies, and when they finally get to go home, it feels like the next chapter of their lives is really beginning. It’s a very big day for everyone, especially the family, and the graduation photo captures all the joy of that moment,” Sr Badenhorst says.
Sr Coetzee credits all her colleagues for their enthusiasm and creativity in bringing the graduation photos to life and says that while the photograph takes only a moment, it gives parents and families a lasting memory to treasure. Over 45 babies have graduated since the initiative began in July this year.
“We have a very special team. Some of us have worked together for more than 30 years and we all feel this is where we are meant to be. Even after all this time, there is nothing quite like the moment when we finally get to send a baby home – whether after just a few days or many months. We are honoured to provide the care our babies need, and these graduation photos are our way of celebrating that precious homecoming with every family that passes through our doors,” she concludes.
Ends
Notes to editor
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