United Kingdom
In the UK, WaterWipes® has entered into its third-year partnership with Bliss, a leading charity that supports NICU families and neonatal healthcare professionals to ensure premature babies receive high-quality care. WaterWipes® is working with Bliss in conjunction with Tesco UK to support World Prematurity Month across November. For each pack of WaterWipes® sold during this month, a 50p donation will be made to Bliss to support their work to improve premature babies’ care.
WaterWipes® has also supported Bliss in redesigning their baby Milestone Cards. These celebrate the achievements and milestones babies meet within the NICU and at home. These cards will be distributed to parents through neonatal units and are also available free to parents to order from the Bliss website.
Ireland
In Ireland, we are continuing to support the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance, a collaborative network of families affected by a preterm birth, multi-disciplinary healthcare experts, educators, researchers and political decision-makers, who all share the goal of reducing incidences of preterm births and supporting NICU families.
A 50c donation per pack of WaterWipes® sold in Tesco throughout November will be made to the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance, to help improve premature baby care across Ireland.
WaterWipes® has also helped redesign the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance Milestone cards that celebrate baby’s achievements within the NICU and at home. This includes their first feed, first cuddle and first nappy change. These cards will be distributed to parents through neonatal units and are also available free to parents to order from the INHA website.
And finally, the WaterWipes® HQ building in Drogheda, Ireland will be lit up in purple to mark World Prematurity Day on 17th November.
United States of America
In the USA, WaterWipes® is working with two organizations for World Prematurity Day: Project NICU and High-Risk Hope.
Project NICU is an organisation led by other NICU parents that offers connection and support to all those involved in the care of premature babies. This includes peer support for healthcare professionals working on the NICU, as well as care packages and events for parents. WaterWipes® is sponsoring Project NICU’s ‘30 Days of Hope’ campaign, which has been created to inspire and raise awareness for families of premature babies who have experienced a stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit across the country.
High Risk Hope is an organisation in Florida that provides support, encouragement, information and resources to families experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or to those who have given birth prematurely. For the month of November, WaterWipes® is sponsoring High-Risk Hope’s ‘Bed Rest Baskets’ and NICU Knapsacks for the month of November.
Canada
In Canada, WaterWipes® is partnering with the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation, a parent-led, non-profit organization providing education, support and advocacy for Canada's premature babies and their families. WaterWipes® is sponsoring their ‘World Prematurity Day buttons’, which will be distributed in NICUs across Canada throughout November.
WaterWipes® is also sponsoring a special edition of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation’s ‘Preemie Chats’ on World Prematurity Day, which will be a three-hour live streaming event, bringing in experts, researchers, and NICU parents to raise awareness about prematurity and share their experience and knowledge with the wider audience.
Australia
In Australia, WaterWipes® is supporting the Miracle Babies Foundation, a leading organisation that supports premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them. Their ‘Light it Purple’ World Prematurity Day 2021 campaign encourages buildings to shine purple to raise awareness across the world. WaterWipes® will be ‘lighting up' social media platforms purple and providing samples for the ‘survival packs’ that go to families in the NICU.
In addition to this, WaterWipes® is taking part in Miracle Babies Foundation’s ‘1 in 10’ campaign, where they invite the community to share their 1 in 10 photos using the hashtag #WorldPrematurityDay2021 to highlight that one in 10 babies in the world are born prematurely. WaterWipes® will be actively sharing this on social media to raise awareness and highlight the journey of these families, who sometimes face lifelong challenges.
Portugal
In Portugal, WaterWipes® are partnering with the Portuguese Prematurity Association ‘XXS’. This association was formed in 2008 by parents who have had direct experience of premature birth and aims to help preterm babies and their families to overcome the many difficulties they face. As part of this partnership, WaterWipes® will be delivering kits to include baby milestone cards, soft toys and WaterWipes® samples to 29 NICUs in Lisbon hospitals to help support families currently in hospital.
Turkey
In Turkey, WaterWipes® will be publishing a post on its Instagram page and on the Turkish Premature Baby Association’s (El Bebek Gul Bebek Dernegi) Instagram page, to highlight and raise awareness of premature babies on the 17th November.
Germany
WaterWipes® in Germany is working with the German Premature Baby Association, to organise a raffle to give away 2 changing pads to parents that have a premature baby.
France
In France, WaterWipes® have created a video on premature babies with a childcare nurse named Alexia from @Parlonsbambins, a parenthood support organisation. This video will be published in November on Instagram, in honour of World Prematurity Day and discuss how parents can support preterm babies on their journey.
WaterWipes® are also partnering with the Neonin's association, a leading neonatal charity to distribute 350 samples of WaterWipes® along with soft toys to premature newborns.
Spain
In Spain, the WaterWipes® team have written an article on ‘the top 10 things that parents of premature babies need to know’, which will have an interview from a healthcare professional incorporated into the piece to give parents trusted healthcare advice and tips for those with a premature baby.