News Coverage

Hand to Hold, Dell Children’s partnership supports more families with babies in the NICU

On Tuesday, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas and Hand to Hold held a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the official start of their on-site partnership. It was 10 years in the making. Read more.

Dell Children’s Medical Center partners with Hand to Hold to support NICU families

Hand to Hold and Dell Children’s Medical Center have announced that they are partnering to provide in-hospital support for neonatal intensive care unit families in Austin. Read more.

Merck Expands Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative to 20th Community-Led Project Advancing Maternal Health Equity During Black Maternal Health Week

The newest Safer Childbirth Cities grant to the Austin Community Foundation as fiscal sponsor for the Black Mamas Community Collective, supports a project to directly tackle racial inequities in maternal health outcomes and increase access to quality care for Black mothers and their families in Austin, TX. Read more.

Hand to Hold starts virtual support groups for parents of NICU babies

During the coronavirus pandemic, when families are already feeling the stress of new rules such as only one visitor at a time with a pediatric patient in a hospital, Hand to Hold is offering virtual support groups in both English and Spanish. Read more.

‘This is Us’ gets premature baby story mostly right, says Hand to Hold’s Kelli Kelley

This week’s “This is Us” was highly anticipated by many parents of premature children after Kate’s water broke at 28 weeks gestation. How would the NBC show handle the story of having a premature baby? Read more.
Austin360, March 13, 2019

Austin’s Hand to Hold hopes ‘This is Us’ gets having a premature baby right

As soon as last week’s episode aired, Hand to Hold’s community of parents began to respond. Read more.
Austin360, March 11, 2019

New partnership providing support to families of NICU babies

A new partnership has been announced between Seton Medical Center Austin and Hand to Hold which is aimed at providing support to families of babies in the NICU. Dr. John Lloyd with Dell Children’s & Seton Healthcare Family and Kelli Kelley with Hand to Hold talk more about it. Watch here.
FOX 7 Austin, January 24, 2019

‘Hand to Hold’ to offer support to NICU families at Austin hospital

Seton Medical Center Austin has launched a partnership with Hand to Hold to give families support before, during and after their infants’ stay in the NICU or if the baby passes away. Read and watch here.
KVUE, January 22, 2019

Hand to Hold begins partnership with Seton Medical Center

Big news for Austin-based nonprofit Hand to Hold. The organization, which provides resources for parents of premature babies or those that have complications at birth, will now have an on-site presence in its fourth hospital. Read more.
Austin360, January 22, 2019

5th Annual Baby Shower Luncheon Benefiting Hand to Hold held November 2

The “Baby Shower Luncheon” benefits Hand to Hold, a program that provides support to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) families. Watch the video here.
KVUE, November 2, 2018

Hand to Hold: A Powerful Resource for NICU Families

If you have had a baby in the NICU, or if you have a friend who has had a baby in the NICU, then you need to learn more about Hand to Hold. Read more.
Dallas Moms Blog, October 31, 2018

How to Stay Sane When Your Baby is in the NICU

It’s not surprising research shows that NICU parents are at increased risk of developing anxiety, depression or PTSD. Or that even when parents don’t develop a mood disorder, they often experience symptoms of these conditions. Read more.
Offspring.lifehacker.com, August 13, 2018

Baylor’s NICU Program Offers Support for New Mothers

A program at Baylor Hospital in Dallas is giving new moms with children still in the NICU some extra support from those who know exactly what they’re going through. Watch the video here.
NBC5 DFW, May 11, 2018

The Trauma of Having a Newborn in the NICU

After premature births, parents can suffer from PTSD. Peer networks are forming to help.
The Atlantic, March 19, 2018

Nonprofit agencies get funds to tackle maternal mortality rate

It’s rare for nonprofit agencies to be able to address an issue before it escalates, and funders are less likely to offer grants unless data shows absolute proof of the need. But across Central Texas and the country, various indicators are pointing to an alarming increase in the rate of deaths among new mothers, a demographic that’s hard to track and yet vital to the health and success of families.
Austin American-Statesman, January 28, 2018

$2M in grants aims to find out why so many Texas moms die after giving birth

Texas has the highest rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the industrialized world. While the state has a task force working on a solution, one hospital foundation is also targeting the issue.
KXAN Austin, Texas, January 25, 2018

St. David’s Foundation giving $2 million to prevent death in childbirth

We’ve written about Texas having the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation.  Texas had 35.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014 compared with 23.8 for the rest of the country, excluding California and Texas, according to a report published in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Now St. David’s Foundation is trying to help local nonprofit organizations address that.
Austin 360, January 19, 2018

Beads help families celebrate a newborn’s milestones in intensive care

Kaylena Vanleuven gave birth to her daughter, Lidia, on December 5 – 11 weeks early. Lidia was 2 pounds, 8 ounces when she was born. Now, she’s 4 pounds, 7 ounces. As the weeks continue, huge milestones are accomplished in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU.
KVAL Eugene, Oregon, January 18, 2018

Mr. and Mrs. Claus visit NICU babies at St. David’s

Families and newborns in the NICU at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin were able to get some early Christmas cheer thanks to a visit Thursday from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Read more.
KVUE Austin, December 14, 2017

How confidence and closeness transformed my family’s NICU stay

My son Jackson was born 16 weeks premature. Weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces, he was considered a micropreemie and would experience a long stay in the neonatal ICU. Read more.
Nurse.com, December 14, 2017

7 Beautiful Ways to Honor Your Angel Baby After Loss

Hand to Hold pairs experienced preemie parents with NICU families in need of support. The nonprofit organization also aids parents facing pregnancy and infant loss. Claire Brown, MSW, and Program Manager of Hand to Hold, explained the Bereavement Bead offered to families who have suffered a loss.

Social work graduates provide comfort, guidance to parents of premature infants

When parents of newborn babies are battling against harsh reality, a pair of Texas State University graduates are there to give them a hand to hold. Read more.
Hillviews Magazine, fall 2017

Hand to Hold profiled on Charity Matters

I like to say that I have a front row seat to humanity. I am privileged to meet and share the stories of the most remarkable people and this week’s conversation with Kelli Kelly was so inspiring that I can’t wait to share.
Charity Matters, November 8, 2017

Hurricane Harvey: Mom recalls putting baby in helicopter to Austin

On Wednesday, staffers at Kingwood Medical Center outside of Houston told Heather Luper that her 1-week-old son, Wyatt, would need to be flown by helicopter to St. David’s Medical Center in Austin. She would be leaving the hospital where she gave birth to her son and where she works as a nurse in the intensive care unit.
Austin American-Statesman, September 1, 2017

Austin’s Hand to Hold starts NICU Now podcast for parents of premature babies

This month, local nonprofit Hand to Hold released a podcast NICU Now on iTunes and Stitcher. Founder Kelli Kelley started Hand to Hold officially in 2010, but the roots of it go back to when Kelley gave birth to her son Jackson in 2000 at 24 weeks gestation.
Austin 360, February 10, 2017

Austin’s Hand to Hold’s Kelli Kelley takes new role consulting Huggies

I wrote about Kelli Kelley, the founder of Hand to Hold, in one of my first Giving Ways stories. Now Kelley will serve as a member of the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council.
Austin 360, January 26, 2016

Understanding Premature Births

My daughter, who we named Joy, was born at 23 weeks gestation in 2012. She weighed just one pound and four ounces, and was only 11 and three-quarters inches long. The reason for her premature birth was a condition I suffered from, called placenta percreta (a severe type of placenta previa) and both of us almost lost our lives.
New York Parenting, November 2015

Having a Premature Baby is Hard

In honor of World Prematurity Day, let’s celebrate the beauty of every preemie baby and every preemie family. But let’s also take a moment to remember the very real struggle of prematurity.
VeryWell, November 2015

10 Questions About Providing Breast Milk To Your Preemie

Families of premature babies have a unique breastfeeding experience which involves providing much-needed breast milk to their infants in the hospital. We asked preemie moms what questions they have about providing breast milk to their premature babies, and teamed up with Hand to Hold to provide their expert guidance to answer the 10 most common questions we received.
Medela, November 17, 2015

10 Things NICU Parents Want You to Know

When a baby is born full-term and healthy, it’s easy to know how to react and what to say. But when there are complications, and a newborn is sent to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it can be more difficult to understand what a parent is going through and how you can be supportive.
Huffington Post, November 17, 2015

The Stress of Having a Baby in the NICU

Parents of babies in the NICU may be at increased risk for mood disorders.
Selini, November 2015

5 Things Never To Say To Parents Of Preemies (And What To Say Instead)

Preterm birth is one of those things that is surprisingly common, and yet impossible for most people to truly, vividly understand unless they’ve gone through it themselves.
Huffington Post, November 17, 2015

Four Incredible Preemie Survival Stories

If you’re a parent of a child with chronic health problems, then you know better than anyone how strong and resilient babies can be.
What to Expect, November 4, 2015

Preemie power: These 8 prematurely born babies are heroes, and here’s why

Premature babies are proof that adorable things can come in tiny packages. But, ask the parents of preemies and they’ll tell you there’s more to their children than their extreme cuteness.
TODAY Parents, November 3, 2015

Newborn intensive care survivors: a review and a plan for collaboration in Texas

Neonatal intensive care is a remarkable success story with dramatic improvements in survival rates for preterm newborns.
Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology Journal, October 19, 2015

Hand to Hold Helps NICU Families – 2nd Annual Baby Shower Fundraising Luncheon

A beloved tradition for growing families, baby showers are celebrations to welcome new life. Yet when babies arrive too soon, families’ dreams are replaced with painful realities: hospital life, anxiety, fear of loss and the stress of life-or-death medical decisions.
Texas Lifestyle Magazine, October 7, 2015

Bambinos Boutique Presents Preemie Services

Bambinos Boutique support Hand to Hold’s Preemie Power Photo & Essay Contest as the 2015 Grand Prize Sponsor.
KENS-5,  October 4, 2015

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