​Plunket – always there for new parents

Any new parent knows how it goes: Your newborn baby, light of your life, comes down with a sniffle. Or a rash. Or a low-grade fever.

And with that comes alarm bells, that only ring louder once Dr. Google has been consulted. “What do I do?” is such a common refrain among new parents, who are already stressed from caring for such a defenceless addition to the family. Add in COVID, and it’s soon clear just how frazzled the mental health of new parents may be.

Thankfully, Whānau Āwhina Plunket is there for all new parents, offering valuable information on a range of topics, from feeding and nutrition to medical advice to tips on how to install a car seat properly.

Plunket has been around since 1907, helping new parents navigate their changing lives with careful, compassionate assistance. Funding Plunket is costly however, with a considerable burden falling on public donations to keep services running. Without New Zealand’s generosity, and partnerships like that with Suzuki, the outcomes for a good many parents would be tragic.

When baby Lily seemed fussy late one night, not feeding as she usually would, parents Annie and Matt were lost. “What do we do now?” again came the question, and like most parents, the first reaction was to wait until morning. After all, it was almost midnight. How much would really change in eight or so hours? But then they remembered their Plunket nurse saying that any baby not feeding is cause for concern.

They called PlunketLine, where registered nurse Tracy picked up. Tracy told Annie and Matt that little Lily was showing symptoms of meningitis – a potentially deadly disease that was epidemic in New Zealand between 1991 and 2007. Tracy listened to Annie and Matt with understanding before telling them that they weren’t overreacting and to get to A&E.

“Don’t hesitate,” Annie recalled her saying. “Just get there.”

That urgency ended up saving Lily’s life, or at least saving her from permanent disability.

Then there’s Tania, a mother who was stuck in the depths of post-natal depression – to the point she was sure her baby hated her. Tania had been separated from her baby at birth due to a rough labour and deciphered her baby’s cries as a reason her baby wanted nothing to do with her.

But when Lucy, a Plunket nurse trained in mental health, visited, she was able to quickly reassure Tania of her role in the baby’s life.

When the baby looked at Lucy, then at Tania, and back to Lucy with a smile, Tania responded, “See? He prefers you to me!”

Lucy quickly shot down this belief, as nicely as she could. “But did you see what he did? He looked at me, then back at his mum. She will tell me if it’s okay to talk to this stranger. You tell him how safe the world is! That’s how important you are! You are his world!”

Through this advice, Tania’s bond with her baby was restored and her mental state healed.

Whānau Āwhina Plunket is a New Zealand icon, an invaluable service for giving families in your local community the confidence of knowing that vital support is always there for them, day or night. If you’d like to support the great work Plunket is doing for New Zealand families, head towww.plunket.org.nz and donate.