The birth of a baby is an exciting time for parents. No parent dreams of their baby arriving earlier than expected, but 8% of babies born in Australia are born prematurely. A staggering 1 in 10 babies born in Australia, arrive before 37 weeks, and will spend the first few weeks and months of their life in NICU.

Despite the early arrival of these miracle babies, parents can be hesitant about sharing their premmie baby photos online as they are unsure of how family and friends will react.

To make this time as special as possible for parents of premmie babies, BabyLove Nappies have created an online initiative called Premmie Proud that encourages parents to share their new arrival with the world.

BabyLove Nappies have partnered with Miracle Babies Foundation and the world’s leading baby photo sharing app, Baby Pics, to create a new section on the app just for premature babies. The app features a new range of hand-crafted photo overlays that all premmie parents can relate to, from graduating from NICU to arriving home.

Debra Smith from BabyLove explained, “Parents of premmies can miss out on experiences other new parents take for granted, and one of these is sharing pictures of their newborn.

“Unsure of how others may respond to seeing their baby in hospital, parents often avoid posting photos altogether. We wanted to change this by encouraging parents to be really proud of their little miracle.”

BabyLove are motivated to share the new app with premmie parents so they know there is a social media tool specifically for their situation.

Baby Pics have received wide support after releasing the new section of the app.

Skye Forbes, co-creator of Baby Pics says, “It’s a small change that we believe will help make a big difference for premature families. Because no one should be more proud of their baby than a premmie parent.”

Premmie births have increased over the years and BabyLove have led the way in creating products to support these miracle babies. Last year BabyLove launched a Premmie nappy that cups a baby’s body, which avoids swelling and pressure around the legs. The launch of the nappies is just one of the investments as part of the Premmie Proud initiative.

Miracle Babies Foundation are thrilled to be part of the Premmie Proud collaboration. Melinda Cruz, CEO and Founder of the Miracle Babies Foundation said, “While it may seem like something so simple, you need to understand that sometimes the most basic joys are taken from parents while their babies are in such a battle for life. Helping parents of premature babies feel more confident in sharing photos of their precious baby is an important part of the hospital journey. All babies are beautiful and premmie parents should feel proud of their amazing miracle and how hard they fight to be here!” To download the app, head here.

Download the Baby Pics app here.

To read more about the Premmie Proud initiative, including Premmie Nappies, head here.