Tiny Miracles Foundation, Ookie® Help Mom and Baby Bond in NICU
Ookie® gets its best vote of confidence yet from The Tiny Miracles Foundation (http://www.TTMF.org) in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The not-for-profit organization, dedicated to helping families with premature infants, gives moms the Ookie® Mom & Baby Bonding Doll to ease alienation in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Says TTMF President, Gwen Noto, “We strive to promote mother-baby bonding, to empower parental involvement in neonatal care, to support and educate parents and most of all to offer hope.”
Ventura, CA (PRWEB) July 19, 2006 -- Ookie® gets its best vote of confidence yet from The Tiny Miracles Foundation (http://www.TTMF.org) in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The not-for-profit organization, dedicated to helping families with premature infants, gives moms the Ookie® Mom & Baby Bonding Doll to ease alienation in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Says TTMF President, Gwen Noto, “We strive to promote mother-baby bonding, to empower parental involvement in neonatal care, to support and educate parents and most of all to offer hope.”
The NICU is a harsh environment when compared to the warm, dark, and cozy womb accommodating most developing babies. Hospital monitors and a maze of oxygen tubes, monitor leads, and IVs replace mom’s heartbeat and nurturing arms. Parents are unable to hold their babies for any significant period because of the critical care many of these tiny miracles require. Ookie® creator, Clasina Valkenberg, could never have known how helpful her product would be for parents of premature babies who before felt only helplessness. The parents are now actively participating in their baby’s need for nurturing and bonding.
Remembering how the company began, Valkenberg says, “My little 17-month-old niece, Desanne, came to visit from Holland clinging to a well-worn, elf-like cloth doll that she carried with her day and night.” Desanne’s mother then told Valkenberg that many European babies receive such a doll at birth. The new mom holds the doll close to her own skin for a night, or so and her scent transfers onto the doll’s flannel fabric.” Knowing that babies love having mom's scent nearby, Valkenberg was intrigued by the mom and baby bonding concept and created her own version of her niece’s ‘best friend’ and called it Ookie® -- after her niece’s nickname, ‘Ukkie’, which means "Little One" in Dutch.
The 14 X 16-inch, 100% cotton exterior doll—with satin binding and ‘Ookie’ embroidered on the front—has become a favorite with other organizations such as the Kids’ Wish Network (http://www.kidswishnetwork.org/index.asp) and the Child Care Planning Council of Ventura County (http://www.childcareplanningcouncil.org/). The dolls are machine-washable and available in pink, blue, yellow, and mint.
About Baby Emporio, LLC
Founded in 1996, Baby Emporio, LLC (http://www.babyemporio.com) offers a unique and varied selection of baby gifts for the consumer alongside its first product—the trademarked Ookie® Baby’s First Doll. The company’s products are being sold to consumers online at www.babyemporio.com and in baby specialty stores across the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. Retailers interested in making wholesale purchases can visit BABY EMPORIO’s wholesale portal at http://www.babyemporiowholesale.com or contact Clasina Valkenberg by calling (800) 965-9909, faxing (805) 985-2158, or writing to the company’s mailing address at 4360 East Main Street, #374, Ventura, CA 93003.
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