Three Christmas miracles at LGH neonatal ward

At the neonatal ward tinsel and ornaments hang from the ceiling, a pair of paper boots stick out of a paper chimney above a roaring paper fire, and everybody is in a festive shirt.

The babies all get presents after a visit from Santa - aka, the hard-working and caring nurses in the ward.

"It's quite nice to spend the day with the babies and their families," nurse Georgia Curtis said.

"It's hard for families in hospital so we try to have a bit of fun and make their day special."

Newborn baby Gabriella Rose Beuermann weighs eight pounds and five ounces, and is 52 centimetres tall.

After being born on Christmas Eve and with an initial due date of New Year's Day, it seems like little Gabriella already loves a holiday.

"It was going to be a special birthday either way," mum Megan Woolnough said.

"We've got her dressed, and she gets to go home and have a bit of Christmas lunch, which is exciting. Grandma's doing her first full Christmas lunch."

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Registered nurse Fiona Van Donselaar had an ingenious way to solve the problem of working on Christmas despite family responsibilities.

"I knew I was going to be working so I started my daughter's advent calendar a day late," she said.

"She thinks its Christmas Eve today - she's only four, so I can get away with it."

Shannon Barnes is also spending Christmas in the ward.

Her son, Charlie, was born at 34 weeks.

The Devonport woman has been on the phone with her family and 17-month old, who was also born premature at the LGH.

She said the nurses at the neonatal ward were "like family".

"Charlie had his first bottle today," she said.

"He's doing well, ticking on the boxes."

She said it was "emotional, but good" spending time with her second-born son in the ward for Christmas.

"He's doing marvelously well," she said.

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