Olivia Tuki - Ashburton
Grainne and her husband Ra live in the tight-knit community of Ashburton, roughly one hours’ drive from Christchurch. They have three children – Ra’s boy Zavier (14) and their two girls, Gracelyn (two) and Olivia (just 10 weeks). Olivia was born full term after a straightforward birth, however she needed support from the NICU in Christchurch soon after.
“I’m diabetic, so I needed to be induced for Olivia’s birth in Christchurch Hospital,” Grainne explains, “we were discharged soon after to travel back home to Ashburton Hospital. However, after just four hours we were sent back to Christchurch Hospital as Olivia had jaundice.” Olivia was placed on the UV blanket twice in one day and they were yet again sent on their way. But yet again, in Ashburton Hospital, wee Olivia showed concerning signs. “After one night, Olivia was extremely limp. She wasn’t waking or responding and not feeding either,” Grainne says, “we had to wait on observations to find out if we needed to go back to Christchurch. The waiting was torture.” 
Grainne, Ra and Olivia had to drive back to Christchurch once more, for Olivia to receive further treatment in the NICU for her jaundice and receive additional support in the form of a nasogastric tube for her feeding. “It was all extremely exhausting and scary,” Grainne says, “when you deliver a full-term baby, you just don’t expect to end up in the NICU or travelling back and forth like we did.” Grainne found that a number of the babies in the NICU alongside Olivia were also full term – a fact she was surprised by. “Everyone asked me how premature she was, as I think we all assume the NICU is for prem babies. But there are a lot of full-term newborns that need extra support for a variety of reasons, and Olivia was one.”
Having had no expectation of staying in Christchurch for long, Grainne had not prepared – and when she learnt that she could stay just down the road at Ronald McDonald House, it was a blessing. “I had a few really emotional moments in the hospital. You’re running on very low sleep, dealing with an unwell newborn and then every time you get a small break there’s another specialist that needs to talk to you. It was really overwhelming.” A social worker put her in touch with RMHC NZ and a room was made available straight away. “It became my base from then on. I would wake early and walk to the hospital to see Olivia and not leave again til around 9pm at night. If I didn’t have that room, I would have then had to face the hour’s journey back to Ashburton every night – it would have been even more exhausting.” Grainne found the friendliness of the staff, the home-cooked meals and snacks on offer for a breastfeeding mother to be a godsend. “It really was my home away from home. They even organised a gift for me on Mother’s Day, as we were there for that.” Her two-year-old daughter Gracelyn and husband Ra would drive up to visit her at the House, and she found it to be a fantastic space for Gracelyn to enjoy – with toddler snacks and toys at her disposal.
Grainne stayed at the House for 34 nights until Olivia was well enough to go home. She is still being topped up through her tube, but the family are hopeful that she won’t need it for much longer. When reflecting on her time in Christchurch, Grainne says she is extremely grateful for the support RMHC NZ showed her during a really difficult time. “If I ever see a Ronald McDonald House donation box, I’ll be popping money into it! It’s such a lifesaver for so many families like ours.”