NICU Blog

"Our NICU Journey - I bring that book with me to and from the hospital every day, I want it with me all the time! It is so nice having a structured journal to keep track of her weight, feedings, medications, nurses, etc.  We've used it to look back to answer: How old was she when she opened her eyes for the first time? ..."

I can’t even begin to count the number of NICU mothers I’ve met who are so hard on themselves, with guilt, anger, jealousy and more. And I totally understand where these emotions come from! When I learned about the concept of Self-Compassion, I knew right away that it was a concept that might help NICU mamas everywhere.

Imagine, it’s an ordinary day, you’re 25 weeks pregnant. You’ve got 15 long weeks to go. You’ve been feeling your baby move for a few short weeks, according to your app the baby is the size of a rutabaga (what is that, anyway?). Months before your birthing classes, your baby shower.... now imagine you feel a sharp pain

Most families place their Milestone Card next to their baby and snap a photo!    You can also tape the card to the outside of an isolette if a baby is too delicate to be moved or disturbed.   Some...

Our NICU Journey is designed to help make it easier for you to keep track of all the information that most NICU parents like to keep track of.    This is how the daily tracking pages are designed to be...

From NICU Nurse author Trish Ringley - "I'm thrilled to announce my new partnership with VeryWell.com to publish NICU and preemie-related articles. The first article I've written is titled 10 Things your NICU Nurses Wish You Knew and you can link to the article here." Sept 25, 2015

NICU Mom Guest Post about her experience as a trauma-informed therapist who had preemie twins in the NICU. She offers 7 clear and simple instructions for how to get started finding a therapist to help with NICU related trauma and depression. NICU parents have high rates of PTSD and need help knowing how to get help.

NICU mother and preemie twin mom Stephanie shares her powerful insight into the struggles she faced when her twins needed to be separated into two separate hospitals. The NICU experience was a profound struggle, with one son requiring surgery for NEC, but through it she learned much. It's hard parenting NICU twins!

...Rachel found a NICU support group, and they understood. When nobody else did. And more than listening and understanding, they offered hope. Many of them had babies who had long since graduated from the NICU and were home thriving, which was powerful inspiration for Rachel to hear. They shared their advice, listened

My most recent read was Kate Hopper’s Ready for Air, a Journey through Premature Motherhood and I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the instant I felt it in my hands, I wanted to pull up a blanket and read for the afternoon. Once I started, I had a hard time putting it down. A great memoir about prematurity and NICU parenting

Guest blogger Sara Bollinger shares with us her NICU adventures and her personal experience with this inspiring Beads of Courage organization. "I am the mother to a three-year-old son who is a former 25 week micro-preemie. Everett arrived weighing 1 pound 13 ounces and spent almost six months hospitalized

An article came out recently, by Sheryl Ubelacker of The Canadian Press, which I believe NICU staff and parents everywhere should read. It's about Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and their attempt to incorporate family integrated care for their NICU infants.

Here is one book you will want to read if you have a preemie in your life. Titled Preemie: Lessons in Love, Life, and Motherhood, this story provides a hopeful tale, one of struggling through the pain and fear of delivering a micropreemie, ultimately reaching a place of strength and authenticity. Highly recommended!

Here's an interesting, NICU-relevant bit of information from the journal Pediatrics (2011). It's about having babies sleep on their backs (supine) earlier in their NICU stay, for SIDS prevention after discharge. Preterm Infants Should Be Placed Supine as Soon as Possible.  (preemie and micropreemie babies)

Kangaroo care is another term for skin-to-skin holding, and it is wonderful. It's something you should be asking your NICU team about right away, if you haven't started already. Skin-to-skin holding is a critical practice for all NICU babies, and we help explain what it is and how to get started.

*Print the list and take with you to the NICU* When you are a parent in the NICU, I  encourage you to get in the habit of asking questions, because it is vital to your becoming informed about your baby so you can be her expert, her advocate. It's easier with this big list of great questions for your NICU nurses and doctors.

Welcome to the NICU. You have just been thrown into an overwhelming and scary place, and I'm here to try to help you get a grip on what is happening, how you'll get through it. You're in the right place - this is the first step on an incredible journey. Take a nice deep breath, exhale, and read on. You'll be okay!

Having a baby is overwhelming enough, but when your world gets turned upside down because of a NICU admission you, as a parent, may feel lost, helpless. I encourage you to understand your critical role in your baby's life. The one job nobody else in the hospital can do better than you is being your baby's advocate.