by Hand to Hold Staff | Jul 1, 2019 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health, NICU Life
I remember the text. The terrifying message my friend on the other side of the country sent about a helicopter ride to a Level III NICU with her just-born, in-critical-condition micro preemie. I knew I wanted to be a support who “got it” and could provide tangible...
by Kelli Kelley | May 29, 2019 | Life after the NICU
High school graduation is an emotional experience for parents. Possibly even more so when the child was born preterm or with special health care needs. But unlike a lot of my friends who are expressing how sad they are that their child will soon leave for college and...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Apr 15, 2019 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health, NICU Life
When my son, Theo, was born at 27 weeks in 2014, I went from blissfully pregnant to survival mode in a matter of hours. For six-and-a-half months I sat by Theo’s incubator, and later crib, bonding with him as best I could while he was hooked up to monitors,...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Mar 28, 2019 | Life after the NICU
I understand that doctors try to give families an honest warning in a prognosis, yet it only gives us one potential outcome. Parents share the discrepancies between prognosis and reality all the time. We learn later that prognosis will not give us the big picture of...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Mar 25, 2019 | Family Stories, Life after the NICU, NICU Life
When I was pregnant, I remember reading about classes for new parents-to-be. There were options like Caring for Your Newborn, or Caring for your Newborn Twins, or Breastfeeding 101. I definitely don’t remember any offerings called Caring for your Micro Preemies. Who...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Mar 7, 2019 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health
by Karri Friedenberger When something traumatic happens to a person or a family you often hear about them adjusting to their “new normal.” One finds their new rhythm in life, adjusting their sails and moving forward. In February 2001 our twin girls, Hanna...
