Bonnie Babes Foundation

In Australia, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely, with almost half of these babies needing to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit.  The National Premature Babies Awareness creates awareness for the medical research and equipment required for these special little premature babies. With vital medical equipment over half of the babies placed in intensive care units survive and go on to live normal lives without complications.  The Bonnie Babes Foundation would like to increase their chances of survival by placing further life saving equipment into intensive care units across Australia.

Of the 250,000 Australian babies born each year, about 17,500 are premature.  A baby born before 37 weeks gestation is called premature or pre-term.  Any baby born weighing less than 5¹/₂lb (2.5kg) is said to have a low birth weight.  Babies who weigh less than 3lb (1.4kg) are called very low birth weight.  The closer the baby is to full term, the greater the chances of surviving.  While less than half of the babies born between 23 and 25 weeks survive.

Being born too early can be a major health setback for a child.  It may compromise not only mental, but also physical health and development.

There is an immeasurable social and emotional cost to families and staff caring for such infants, and the financial cost of their treatment needs for the Australian community is also considerable, amounting to more than $150 million per annum.

In the majority of cases, the basic underlying reasons why some babies are born early are poorly understood.

A rational basis for preventing the occurrence of preterm labour is therefore lacking.

The Bonnie Babes Foundation provides Australia wide, 24-hour 7 day per week free grief counselling services to families who have lost a baby.

The Foundation’s trained counsellors will provide grief counselling for any member of the family or friends grieving after pregnancy loss.

Our counselling services also support families with infertility issues and families who have a baby with an illness or complication following birth.

If you would like to organise to speak with one of the Foundation’s counsellors or for any of our free literature to be sent to you, please telephone 1300 Bonnie (1300 266 643) fax on (03) 9803 2699 or email enquiry@bbf.org.au.

Coping with Pregnancy Loss

The Bonnie Babes Foundation has three free publications:

You Are Part of Our Lives and Will Always Live in our Hearts (PDF, 897kb)

This book contains information that can help families cope in their time of grief. This publication is distributed to GP’s, hospitals, health centres, etc across Australia. If your hospital etc does not have a copy, please contact the Foundation and a copy will be sent.

‘A Dad’s Story’

This book discusses a father’s grief and is available by contacting the Foundation.

‘Talking to children about Grief and Loss’

This book discusses ways to explain to your child grief and loss and is also available by contacting the Foundation.

Grief counselling support group - Werribee, VIC

On the 1st Thursday of each month there will be a counselling support group held at:
Salvation Army Church Hall, 211 Watton St, Werribee, VIC. 3030.
This support group will be facilitated by one of the Bonnie Babes Foundation’s volunteer grief counsellors, Kerry Batstone. The sessions will run between 1:30-2:30pm. The Hall’s contact number is 9741 7359. For any queries you can contact the Bonnie Babes Foundation on 03 9803 1800 or by email at enquiry@bbf.org.au.

Support Group - Brisbane

The Bonnie Babes Foundation now has a Brisbane Support Group. The meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month from 7pm-9pm at Kedron-Wavell Community Centre. For further information or for our telephone counselling services within Queensland please contact Barb on (07) 3353 6285.

Support Group - Gold Coast

A Gold Coast self-help support group is held on the last Thursday of every month. This support group consists of families who have lost a baby at various stages of pregnancy, so everyone is welcome. For information, ring Debbie on 07 5598 1147.

Support Group Gladstone - Queensland

Gladstone Support Group is a new gathering in Gladstone. This group welcomes any families who have lost a baby at various stages of pregnancy. For details of meetings please contact Susan Townsend on (07) 4978 1640 or for more information.

The Bonnie Babes Foundation was founded in 1994 and is a non government funded, non-profit, volunteer based charity which provides:

The Bonnie Babes Foundation;

• Provides medical equipment to hospitals for premature babies struggling for life in intensive care.
• Assists vital medical research projects into pregnancy loss and complications to women’s health during and following pregnancy.
• Provides education and training for health professionals.
• Provides 24 hour, 7 day per week free family crisis phone lines for those who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or prematurity.
• Provides health nutrition and wellness advice for women prior to and during pregnancy.
• Provides support for families with infertility issues and assists with counselling relating to infertility.
• Provides support for babies born with abnormalities.
• Supports women who develop pre-eclampsia and other medical conditions during pregnancy.
• The Foundation also provides education and training for health professionals.

Sadly one in every four pregnancies ends in a loss from miscarriage and stillbirth. One in every twenty babies are born prematurely.

In Australia, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely, with almost half of these babies needing life support in a neonatal intensive care unit.  Tiny premature babies are often struggling on life support systems.  The equipment is expensive and technology can help these babies.  The Foundation’s aim is to raise much needed funds to help these special babies and increase their chances of survival.

The Bonnie Babes Foundation has helped thousands of families since its inception.  The Charity is a national grief counselling organisation and is the only organisation of its type in Australia covering all pregnancy loss issues.

The money raised contributes to purchasing new equipment, scholarships for young researchers, special research projects involving pregnant women, and most importantly, the provision of grief counselling services and grief support groups for families suffering this traumatic loss Australia wide.

Our honorary Lawyers are Wisewoulds Lawyers - Mr Robert Toth.

Medical Committee Members

• Professor Lesley Barclay - Professor and Director Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health (NSW)
• Associate Professor Fiona Bogossian – University of Queensland
• Associate Professor Leonie Callaway - Head of Royal Brisbane Clinical School, Staff Specialist in Internal and Obstetric Medicine, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital
• Professor Paul Colditz - Director Perinatal Research Centre, Royal Women’s Hospital, Brisbane
• Dr John Drew – Pediatrician
• Associate Professor Roger Hart – Specialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Fertility Specialists of Western Australia
• Associate Professor Ross Haslam – Head Neonatal Medicine, Women’s & Children’s Hospital (SA)
• Associate Professor Rosemary Horne, NHMRC Research Fellow, Scientific Director of the Ritchie centre, Monash Institute of Medical Research
• Professor Ian Macreadie - CSIRO Molecular and Health Technologies (Vic)
• Leah Magliano – Hobart Private Hospital, NUM
• Meredith McIntyre – Monash University, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery
• Dr Lisa McKenna – Monash University, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery
• Professor Helen McCutcheon – Head School of Nursing & Midwifery (SA)
• Dr Peter McDougall – Chief of Medicine, Director, Department of Neonatology, The Royal Children’s Hospital
• Professor Jeremy Oats – Director, Gynaecology & CPIU, The Royal Women’s Hospital (Vic)
• Dr C. Andrew Ramsden - Director Newborn Services, Monash Medical Centre
• Professor Karen Simmer - Professor of Newborn Medicine, University of Western Australia
• Dr Anne Sneddon – Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Canberra Hospital
• Dr Brendan Steele - Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sandringham & District Memorial Hospital
• Dr Christine Tippett - Director Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit, Monash Medical Centre
• Dr Stephen Tong - Clinician and Research Scientist, Monash Institute of Medical Research Monash University
• Professor Brian Trudinger – Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Westmead Hospital (NSW)
• Professor Euan Wallace – Clinical Director, Centre for Women’s Health Research, Monash Institute Medical Research

The Bonnie Babes Foundation is a free grief counselling service for families that have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or prematurity and related issues such as infertility.