For 29-year-old Whittlesea mother, Emily Ockwell, the opening of Mercy Health’s new early parenting centre in South Morang in Melbourne’s northern suburbs can not come quickly enough.
Like many young mothers, Emily has experienced worry and endless sleepless nights in getting nine-month-old Marlee to settle.
Whittlesea mother Emily Ockwell with baby Marlee.
“For all of Marlee’s short life, we haven’t been able to get her into a cot and really, her only sleeping has been napping,” Emily says.
“Marlee and I recently spent a week staying overnights at the Mercy Health O’Connell Family Centre (OFC). We were given lots of reassurance and shown great techniques and I am sure in the long run, it will pay dividends for us.
“Until now, there have been a lot of tears and a very tired, unsettled Marlee.”
Nine-month-old Marlee.
However, the need to travel across town from Melbourne’s northern suburbs to Canterbury in the city’s east to obtain support proved challenging for the young family.
“My husband, Danny, is a tradie and he travels far and wide so for me to leave home and spend the week an hour away made it a complicated time for us.
“We desperately need a facility in the Whittlesea area and while its opening might be too late for Marlee, for us, there is always the prospect of a second baby,” Emily laughs.
Another tier of support for Emily is a local mothers’ group in Whittlesea. She says there is no shortage of mothers who need assistance.
“A lack of sleep and not being able to get our babies to settle at night are the topics of conversation that come up over and over,” she says.
In December last year, Victorian Minister for Health Infrastructure Mary-Anne Thomas presented designs for a new EPC at 34 Anchorage Drive, South Morang.
The Victorian Minister for Health Infrastructure Mary-Anne Thomas with Mercy Health Chief Executive Health Services Professor Jason Payne at the site of the new Whittlesea Early Parenting Centre.
For parents like Emily and other carers, it will provide the advice they need, which includes support with sleep and settling, feeding, and extra care for babies and toddlers with additional needs.
Since October last year, during the construction phase of the new Whittlesea EPC, staff from OFC have been providing Day Stay services in nearby Mill Park.
Mercy Health OFC Manager and Director of Nursing Anna Seaborn says three families have been attending Whittlesea Day Stay in Mill Park every Friday.
“The purpose of setting up this facility is to build relationships in the Whittlesea community in preparation for the opening of the EPC in October this year.”
Anna says Mercy Health O’Connell Family Centre, established by the Family Care Sisters in 1949, has a proud legacy of caring for women and families.
“This commitment to caring for families with children from birth to four years of age continues to proudly exist.
“Mercy Health’s commitment to caring for women in need at OFC extends back to the work of the Family Care Sisters, which we have proudly continued into the present day,” Anna says.
The City of Whittlesea also has the second largest population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Victoria.
Mercy Health Chief Executive Health Services Professor Jason Payne says Mercy Health is committed to providing culturallysafe and welcoming services for First Nations Peoples.
“Mercy Health acknowledges the unique challenges that many First Nations families experience as a result of intergenerational trauma and injustice,” Professor Payne says.
“We are privileged to be able to care for and support parents in the early years of their child’s life, which is so important and formative for families.”
Last reviewed April 4, 2023.