Canterbury mother Kimberley Aspden faced an impossible choice: spending Christmas with her family or with her one-week-old daughter Emily, who was in Christchurch Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“It was a tough decision,” she said. “It felt so unnatural to leave her there alone, but we still had a few more weeks in hospital to go.” Emily was born eight weeks early in December 2021, prompting Kimberley to travel from Temuka to Christchurch for the birth and the first weeks of motherhood.

During her time in NICU, Kimberley received support from award-winning charity One Mother to Another, which supports over 6000 parents and whānau with hospitalised newborns and children across the South Island—including on Christmas morning.

“We arrived early on Christmas morning to see Emily before we left and were greeted with the most amazing care package,” Kimberley said. “It made our first family Christmas that much more special, knowing people were looking out for us and making our time in hospital less isolating.”

Preparing for the biggest care package drive yet

One Mother to Another is now gearing up for its largest care package packing day, with dozens of volunteers assembling 1310 packages for parents and whānau in 16 South Island hospital wards (most in Canterbury) during December and January, including special packages for Christmas Day.

The care packages include practical items for the hospital environment, treats, and resources to support mental wellbeing, along with a handwritten note of encouragement. The charity is also preparing 900 small gifts for nursing staff in the supported wards, acknowledging their hard work throughout the year.

To fund this effort, the charity has launched a crowdfunding campaign.

“It’s hard enough being in hospital with a sick child at any time, but to be there over Christmas is even harder. For hundreds of parents and whānau, it means being separated from family and consumed by stress and fear,” said One Mother to Another Co-Founder and CEO, Joy Reid. “We don’t want them to feel unseen or invisible. We want them to know they are not alone.”

The impact of care and connection

Kimberley said the care package she received profoundly affected her mental and emotional well-being.

“It made the foreign world we had been thrown into less lonely and helped us realise we had other support while we were away from home,” she said.

Maternal mental health remains a significant challenge in New Zealand, particularly for mothers of hospitalised children. Research shows women are at a heightened risk of mental illness during this time, often facing disrupted bonding and emotional struggles related to their infants’ health. This can lead to postnatal depression and anxiety, with lasting effects on families and child development.

One Mother to Another aims to address these challenges by fostering connection, validating the experiences of whānau, and empowering parents to build resilience. Through their network of kindness, the charity is making a meaningful difference during some of the most difficult times in families’ lives.

For more information, including how to donate, visit their website or contact Joy Reid at 027 256 9569 or [email protected].

Here’s the Give a Little page to help