Portable newborn infant trainer donated to Tamworth hospital by LJ Hooker

The $1450 “portable newborn infant trainer” will be used to train a variety of clinicians, and was donated to the hospital by the LJ Hooker Foundation in conjunction with the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.

The Baby Umbi enables clinicians to learn and practice advanced neonatal resuscitation including insertion of umbilical venous catheters and umbilical arterial catheters, particularly for premature babies whose hands and feet are too small for catheters to be inserted.

Nursing manager of paediatrics Terese Madden said the hospital had been waiting a really long time for the training device.

“These are life-saving amazing devices,” she said.

“We have doctors that have never had the experience of doing this in real life, and we have very experienced doctors who have to take the time to show younger doctors during a procedure.

“It is much nicer, and safer, to know how to do it prior to an emergency.”

Nurses will also be trained with the device to assist doctors during procedures, while the Baby Umbi is so lifelike it can even be filled with fake blood.

For local LJ Hooker director and new father, Sam Spokes, the chance to chip in for the local maternity unit was an opportunity that couldn’t be ignored.

“My wife and I were both born here, and we have had two children here now, so we have come full circle – it was a great chance to make a tangible difference to the community in which we live and work,” he said.

The couple named the new baby ‘Willow’, “which was going to be our girl’s name, but we had two sons.”