Updated
One of the first things tiny Harrison Nobes was able to hold was a small crocheted octopus.
Harrison was born at just 26 weeks and two days, weighing only 890 grams.
He was so premature that a valve in his heart had not yet finished growing and he was placed straight into a humidicrib; a number of connected tubes kept him alive.
His mother Katie Nobes said the birth came quickly and was quite a shock.
"It was pretty much a perfect pregnancy. I didn't have morning sickness or anything," she said.
Ms Nobes was working at the Launceston General Hospital when she went into labour and was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
"It all happened so quickly," she said.
"He was born within about 45 minutes of my waters breaking.
"It wasn't very nice either, as the nurses were telling me to hold the baby [in] as the doctors weren't there; it's not very easy to hold a baby in when he's ready to enter the world."
On their second night in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a nurse gave a small toy octopus to Harrison.
"At the time I was still in shock and didn't take in what it was all about and what it would mean for Harrison and us later on," Ms Nobes said.
"Not being able to hold and barely touch our little man, the octopus was provided for something Harrison to grab onto.
"It also gave us peace of mind that he had some comfort in his humidicrib in an environment that is far beyond normal for a baby."
The octopus was made by volunteers as part of a worldwide movement called Octopus For A Preemie.
"The tentacles on the octopus actually resemble the umbilical cord," Bianca Green, co-founder of Octopus For A Preemie Tasmania, told John X on ABC Radio Hobart.
"So they play with these tentacles and it stops them from pulling out their cords or jostling them."
Ms Green became involved with making octopuses alongside Andrea Carey, and the pair have found they just cannot keep up with demand.
But a recent call to help on the Octopus For A Preemie Tasmania Facebook page has garnered a massive response, with a number of extra volunteers and crochet groups now offering to help.
"The therapeutic value isn't just for babies," Ms Green said.
After 76 days in hospital, Harrison is now at home and healthy, and his little octopus is still by his side.
"The octopus appeared in many photos we took of Harrison," Ms Nobes said.
"It was really nice to see Harrison develop alongside his octopus.
"To this day Harrison still has his little octopus in his bassinet to keep him company.
"It is now something that Harrison will be able to treasure and look back on when he is much older."
Topics: babies---newborns, pregnancy-and-childbirth, craft, family-and-children, volunteers, human-interest, doctors-and-medical-professionals, hobart-7000, launceston-7250
First posted