What we do
At our Petal Home we offer respite and transitional care for vulnerable newborns, keeping them safe and helping to stabilise their emotional and physical well-being. Whether they are with us for just a few hours or over a month, we help babies in our care to have a loving and secure start, setting them up to grow and flourish.
Where Petal can help
Respite Care
For mothers or carers of non-mobile babies who are in need of respite and time to catch a breath but may be lacking support from whanau or friends to allow this to happen at home.
Transitional Care
We provide a safe, loving and consistent environment for pre-transition babies, with a particular focus on reducing trauma when transitioning into their new family.
Safe Care
For babies whose mother’s may be temporarily unable to provide safe care for their baby, for example they may need to address addiction issues.
Transitions in and out of our Petal home are tailored, culturally sensitive and well planned to the individual situation. It’s important for mothers to understand, they are always in control. If required we are here to provide guidance and support. Depending on the situation, we provide short or long-term care for baby and in some cases, we can offer a place for mothers to stay.
Our approach is different…
Customised Care. We will work out who the best carer would be for each baby’s personalised care (custom care)
Attachment Based. Using the “Attachment Focused” approach: holding, eye contact, talking, providing love, stability and day-to-day predictability
Acknowledging Cultural Diversity. The Petal Foundation welcomes all cultures, aiming for inclusivity and showing respect for their important practices
Well resourced. The Petal Home® and wrap around services for baby ie. GP and Registered Nurses on call, focus on baby’s overall well being
Holistic Care. To break the cycle of trauma for vulnerable babies, supporting their emotions, psychological, spiritual and physical well-being
Safe Transitions. We follow a process to minimise trauma from transitioning, either from mama, carer and then transitioning back to mama with support
…The only baby-focused service of it’s kind in NZ
Attachment in the early stages of life is critical. It influences a child’s physical, neurological, cognitive and psychological development. In the first 6 weeks babies don’t show attachment to any specific caregiver. Carers who provide a nurturing environment and are responsive to a baby’s needs can lay the foundation for secure attachments to form.
Antenatal
During the antenatal period, parents and carers can form a bond with their child. Any bonds formed before birth can have a positive impact on the relationship between babies and their caregivers once the child is born (Condon and Corkindale, 1997).
Birth until 6 weeks
This is sometimes referred to as the pre-attachment phase because the baby doesn’t appear to show an attachment to any specific caregiver. However, parents and carers who provide a nurturing environment and are responsive to their babies needs can lay the foundation for secure attachments to form (Bowlby, 1997).
The first 45 days are especially important because the baby’s brain is still developing rapidly and is particularly vulnerable to damage from environmental factors such as malnutrition and infections. (Healthychildren.org)
6 weeks until 6-8 months
During this stage of their development, a baby might start to show a preference for their primary and secondary caregivers (often the mother and father).
6-8 months until 18 months -2 years
During this period a child begins to show a strong attachment to their primary caregivers. Babies start to develop separation anxiety during this phase and can become upset when their caregiver leaves, even for short periods (Bowlby, 1997).
Petal babies
Baby N
Baby N spent a day at our Petal Home while his mother was seeking much needed mental health and addiction support. There was no one else in his wider whanau who was available to care for him for a whole day.
It was just a short stay, and as with all cases of respite care, his mother retained full guardianship. Social Services and Baby N’s mother knew he was in safe hands with Petal’s experienced carers. His carer ensured she followed Baby N’s routine to keep him calm and settled.
Baby L
Baby L’s birth mother was unable to keep her for family and religious reasons. Initially she was going to stay at the Petal Home for just 3 days, however she remained in our care for 3 months while her adoption was finalised. Her birth mother was welcomed to visit and she did so 3 times.
The same carer took care of Baby L from 9am to 6pm every day and another carer, always the same, cared for her from 6pm to 9am so Baby L was as settled and secure as possible during her first months of life.
When family for Baby L was confirmed for her adoption, they visited the Petal Home multiple times to get to know their new daughter and to start bonding with her. With each visit our team supported her new parents with their understanding of her specific care and routines, building up their confidence and ensuring Baby L’s transition into her new family home was not rushed and the least traumatic it could be for everyone.
Baby R
Petal provided emergency care for Baby R for her first 3 days of life as her mother was struggling with addiction and her father was struggling to look after her 4 other siblings. At 3 months old she returned for 3 days per week for a couple of months but had sadly not experienced attachment due to her family circumstances.
Baby R had exposure to methamphetamine while in the womb so was withdrawing and was therefore a challenging baby for her family to care for. The team at Petal supported her family with guidance to help them learn how to best look after her.
*Names changed for privacy purposes
