Newborn Dion rests in one of the hospital's 38 new bassinets. The Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation raised $152,000 to purchase the new bassinets to replace their old wooden ones.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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There are 38 new Stryker bassinets at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital just in time for Mother’s Day. The Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation raised $152,000 to replace all the existing wooden bassinets at the hospital with a needed upgrade.
“We actually launched the campaign in early 2020, before the pandemic even started,” said Heather Bach, the foundation’s executive director. “We were really excited to bring some new bassinets to our new families and new babies and then of course a pandemic arrived. So, we weren’t really loud about the campaign, but we continued moving forward on it because we still needed these bassinets.”
Bach says the new bassinets are safer and more comfortable than the wooden ones, and she adds bassinets are used more often than people realize – they are used to transport babies from department to department throughout the hospital because you are not allowed to carry a newborn baby at the hospital.
“If you can imagine you’re a brand-new mom and it’s your first baby, the only thing you want is for the baby to be safe and healthy,” said Bach. “So, having them in these beautiful new bassinets, they’re just a safe and sturdy piece of equipment … the bassinets are going to last a lifetime, they’re so well built, and you feel comfortable being able to move the baby around the hospital safely.”
The bassinets also have storage drawers for mothers. Bach says parents can store diapers and other needed items in them so everything is nearby. Bach believes some still think babies spend the night in the nursery, but they are actually in the room with their mom the whole time.
Bach says they needed 38 bassinets in order to spread them out throughout multiple different departments at the hospital.
“Labour and delivery needs bassinets, NICU needs bassinets, pediatrics needs bassinets and maternal child unit needs bassinets,” said Bach. “So, when you spread them out in four different departments, plus we keep some just in case something breaks, or a wheel falls off because we want to be able to have one to replace it – 38 was our magic number.”
The foundation also had two donors come forward to allow them to add some art to the maternal child department. Bach says the walls were just plain and blank before and the rooms in the department are private for the mother and baby to recover after childbirth.
“Paintergirl came in and made it baby friendly. It’s a beautiful space now and it’s a place where moms and families can take pictures and feel a little more happy,” said Bach. “Being able to have something warm and comforting just makes it a little more homely, hopefully reduces stress and brings a level of comfort to the family.
Bach says the upgrades wouldn’t have been able to be done without the support of Hatters.
“I just want to say thanks to the community in supporting our newest citizens and making sure that they’re safe when they come into the world,” she said.
