Who we are

Mission Statement

The Linden Fund is a group of people who have been touched by premature birth.

We offer hope, encouragement and support to newborns, families and neonatal intensive care units in Canada.

Our purpose is to provide specialized medical equipment as well as items of comfort and convenience to assist in the mental, physical and emotional development of infants and their families.

We are the voice of prematurity in Canada.

“Making a Big Difference in Tiny Lives.” 

What defines premature birth?

A pregnancy usually lasts 40 weeks. A baby born at 37 or more weeks is considered full term. A baby born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy is called premature, preterm or preemie.

What percentages of births are preterm?

Approximately 12% of babies born are preterm. Of those, 84% are born between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. Around 10% are born between 28 and 31 weeks and 6% are born earlier than 28 weeks

Neonatal Intensive Care Units

The Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) offers specialized medical and nursing care, delivered 24-hours a day by board-certified neonatalogists and experienced nursing teams. These teams, combined with the support of NICU state-of-the-art technology, ensures that infants will receive the highest level of care possible.

Neonatal Intensive Care Units provide care for babies requiring special attention when they are born with conditions such as: preterm birth, low birth weight, breathing difficulty, and many other life threatening illnesses. Thousands of babies every year are admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units across Ontario. Babies in the NICU are under the care of one of neonatologist paediatricians who specialize in the care of newborns. Neonatologists are paediatricians with additional education specializing in the care of critically ill infants and are trained to treat a wide variety of health problems.