by Kelli Kelley | Jun 11, 2018 | Family Stories, Life after the NICU, Mental Health
Cake – check. Party napkins, plates, cups – check. Cute invitations – check. Everything is together, so why am I falling apart? The first birthday of any child is reason for celebration, but when a baby is born preterm or with a special health care need, the first...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Jun 7, 2018 | Mental Health
Having a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit is a traumatic experience. No one is ever really prepared. You have probably felt emotions during your baby’s NICU stay that you never imagined feeling. You have celebrated things you never knew you would and seen...
by Hand to Hold Staff | May 10, 2018 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health
I first read Dr. Seuss’s My Many Colored Days last year when my then 4-year-old son brought it home from preschool and requested I read it to him. My Many Colored Days is children’s book to help children understand the wide range of emotions all of us...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Mar 26, 2018 | Mental Health
The NICU can feel overwhelming, so much so, that self care goes by the wayside. Here’s the thing about self care, we can’t take care of our baby/babies if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. This doesn’t mean we have to do it all ourselves, but...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Jan 8, 2018 | Mental Health, Pregnancy & Bedrest
I have been part of the premature birth community for nearly five years now since giving birth to my 26-weeker. I’ve talked with so many women who’ve experienced premature birth for a myriad of reasons, as well as women who are pregnant and hoping baby stays in just a...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Nov 16, 2017 | Mental Health
World Prematurity Day wasn’t a day I ever knew about or had any connection to until I became a preemie parent myself. Having spent 109 days in the NICU watching my son fight for his life, I became aware of the harsh realities of extreme prematurity first hand: the...
