Life With A Preterm Baby was created by Healthy Start, Healthy Future in collaboration with Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre to support families of preterm infants who have spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

This new program will be geared specifically to families of preterm infants and will serve as a support network following discharge as families transition from the NICU to their first years at home.

Mission

Our Mission:

• To strengthen and build confidence by providing ongoing support to families of preterm babies.

Our Vision:

Empower families with preterm babies through learning, caring and sharing.

Our Goals and Objectives:

• Support the families as they transition from hospital to home
  
• Promote a community that supports the well-being of families with preterm babies
  
• Enable preterm babies to achieve their maximum potential through parenting and social support
  
• Provide a forum for families experiencing difficulties adjusting to parenting a preterm

Our Team

Dr. Jennifer Young Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. Young is a Staff Neonatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Department of Paediatrics. She is an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto where she completed her Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine training. Dr. Young’s research and academic interests are in medical education, and neonatal follow up particularly in relation to transitional care between the NICU and the home environments.

Kate Robson Canadian Premature Babies Foundation Kate is the Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation and also works at Sunnybrook Hospital as a family support specialist, working closely with families and helping the unit deliver family centred care. Her background in Adult Education and Community Mediation, when combined with her personal experience as the parent of two children born preterm, helps her bring families and staff together as collaborators. She is also the iNICQ Family Faculty Member at the Vermont Oxford Network, a member of the Canadian Family Advisory Network (CFAN), and has had the opportunity to speak at dozens of conferences around the world on topics related to prematurity and parental mental health.

Fabiana Bacchini, MA Fabiana is a professional broadcast journalist, speaker and transformation coach. She is also a graduate NICU parent and ambassador of the Family Integrated Care Program at Mount Sinai Hospital offering peer to peer support. She has co-founded Handfull Hearts, a not-for-profit organisation that supports projects that are important to her and her community.

Janet Narciso Mount Sinai Hospital Janet has over 35 years’ experience in Neonatology.  She has had many roles throughout her NICU career at Mount Sinai, from bedside nursing to leadership, research and education. Currently she is the Parent Resource Nurse providing education and support to families as they journey through the NICU.

Megan Appelton A lawyer with a strong interest in women's health and health law/policy, Megan became a NICU veteran when her daughter was born three months early at Mount Sinai Hospital.  An advocate for maternal mental health and member of Mount Sinai's NICU peer support team, Megan is excited by the opportunity to advance the causes of both communities.

Christina Moss Christina is a Mother of 2. Her first born was born 12 weeks early in 2013, graduating from her NICU journey after 91 days. She joins the Life With A Preterm team as Preterm Program Manager. She hosts Monthly Facebook Chats, Preterm Cafes and is excited to help grow the program and provide families with the support she needed after discharge.

Claire Kerr-Zlobin Claire is the founder of Life With A Baby. She founded this non-profit organisation to provide a social network for new mothers in the hopes of preventing post-partum disorders, an illness that she personally experienced. Claire is a mother of two children.