PHOTO BY PRESCOTT JAMES Enlarge Image

Leona Fitzpatrick (left) and Sheila Malchuck said the quilting group they are a part of is committed to quilting hundreds of Joeys to be distributed to new mothers at HSC with children in critical care units.

Members of the Assiniboine Circle Quilting Group are putting their Joeys where the mouths are to help support the Health Sciences Centre’s kangaroo care program.

The St. Francois Xavier-based group recently launched an initiative that will see them quilt hundreds of Joey bonding buddies to be distributed to new mothers at the HSC with children in critical care units.

A Joey is a small, quilted blanket that the new mother will sleep with in order to transfer her scent. The blanket is then placed with the incubated infant so that it can become familiar with its mother’s scent.

ACQG member Leona Fitzpatrick, a Charleswood resident, said that the group is currently working on its first shipment of Joeys, with plans to quilt hundreds more.

"Basically kangaroo care is the bonding of a new mother to child with skin on skin contact, but unfortunately for newborns in critical care units, this bonding does not take place," she said. "But when babies don’t get to go home right away, that’s when the Joeys come in.

 "By making these bonding buddies, we are actually helping to facilitate the bond between mother and child. It’s a pretty special feeling."

Fitzpatrick said she expects that the 37-member ACQG will need to quilt about a hundred of the bonding buddies a month to meet the demands of the HSC. Since the project is still relatively new, group members are still working out some of the details, she said.

"We are still on a learning curve. While we speculate in excess of 100 per month it could very well be 300 depending on the turnover in the nursery," she said.

Sheila Malchuck, another ACQG member and a SFX resident, explained that the group meets twice a month to quilt the Joeys. She added that the Joeys are just a small part of what the 16-year-old group is all about.

"Getting together as a group is a lot more than just quilting," she said. "It’s about sharing ideas, showcasing our talents and making lasting friendships."

She added that the group hosts a quilting show every other year, with all proceeds going to a designated charity of the group’s choosing.

"We just had a show in 2011 and we will have another one in 2013," she said.

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