I’m quite a sentimental and nostalgic person so for my 28th birthday I REALLY wanted to do something special, or contribute to something special. Lauren and her friends, from One Way community church in Vanderbijl Park, offered to drop off maternity packs to SASOLBURG HOSPITAL (the hospital where I was born) for my birthday! Here’s what Lauren had to say:
“On Saturday the 15th of March 2014, 10 volunteers visited the Sasolburg Government Hospital’s maternity ward for a couple of hours simply to bless and encourage the new mom’s in the ward.
There were 20 new moms – 2 were moms of twins (one set was unexpected) and all were really blown away by the gesture of the hospital visit and the gifts. Some of the new mom’s had not had a baby shower and many had received very few gifts for their new babies and so the packs, containing toys, clothes, blankets and other goodies were deeply appreciated. The new mom to the unexpected set of twins was particularly touched by the gesture as she and her family had not been prepared for an extra little person and the surprise visit and the gifts were a real encouragement to her that “everything will be ok”, despite how overwhelmed she was feeling.
I really want to encourage every person who has contributed to this endeavour – whether it be with new or previously loved baby items. Your contribution does make a difference to the lives of new mom’s and their little ones in ways that you will never realise. Some mom’s felt relieved by the actual donation of items that they were not able to provide themselves, while for others (many of whom are single parents), this simple gesture made them feel less alone in their new adventure simply because you cared enough to pass on previously loved items to someone who may be in need of them now. As women and mothers we need to stand together in support of each other on this sometimes tough journey of parenting, and through simple acts like these we are able to stand with and encourage one another despite cultural, geographical and economical barriers that may come between us.”
