After the youngest member of the Box whānau, little Mabel, spent a week in hospital, a delivery of Bellyful meals gave the Waikato farming family a chance to catch their breath.
“I hadn’t cooked a hot meal in over two weeks. It was such a huge weight off our shoulders,” says mum Linsay Box.
Linsay’s a former chef, now stay at home mummy to Harriet who is almost two and Mabel, who is five months. Dad Colin is a dairy farm manager on the family farm in Ohaupo, just outside Hamilton, where they live with five-year-old dog, Frank.
“Our daughter Mabel has suffered with severe silent reflux since only 10 weeks old. Her condition took a turn for the worse when she refused milk for four days becoming dehydrated and requiring a hospital admission to paediatrics. She developed a milk / bottle aversion so now we are exclusively tube fed.”
After a long week in hospital, Jenny from Gastric Reflux Support Network NZ referred them to Bellyful Hamilton.
“Jenny organised the meals through Bellyful and the ladies went above and beyond to deliver our meals to our door.”
Linsay says it has been a tough journey having a very unhappy baby for so many weeks and has really taken its toll on their mental and physical wellbeing. The meals have helped in more ways than filling their bellies.
“It’s one less thing we have to worry about at the end of the day, preparing a hot cooked meal when dealing with two under two and one being high needs. Especially coming into winter.
“These meals are just perfect and so appreciated by everyone in our family. Having these pre-prepared meals ready to go gives us that little extra time to take a deep breath in these tough times.
“I would definitely encourage others to reach out to Bellyful when in need. I’m not one that generally accepts offers of help but this time I am so glad that I did. This organisation is just wonderful. So great to see the community coming together to help families in need.
“Not only are our bellies full, but the meals taste great too. Thanks, Bellyful!”
