Blog
Give the Gift of Milk Cubby: Hand to Hold x MilkStork
The holidays can be especially challenging for NICU parents. While many gather in celebration, families with babies in the NICU often face long days filled with uncertainty, exhaustion, and the unique demands of pumping breast milk for their fragile newborns. This...
Announcing the 2024 NICU Hero Award Winners!
We are proud to announce the Hand to Hold NICU Hero Award winners for 2024! The Hand to Hold NICU Hero award recognizes NICU Professionals and NICU Units that deliver outstanding Family Centered Care. NICU Heroes encourage and support the NICU parent’s role as a...
Hand to Hold to host NICU Mental Health Conference November 6-7
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hand to Hold, a national nonprofit that provides early intervention mental health support for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and bereaved parents, will host its annual virtual National NICU Mental Health...
Navigating Your NICU Baby’s Feeding Journey
This article is sponsored by Prolacta Bioscience. Navigating the feeding journey with your NICU baby can be challenging. When you have a baby in the NICU, feeding can look very different, both in how you feed your baby and what you feed your baby. And as a key...
Black Breastfeeding Week: August 25-31
August 25-31 marks Black Breastfeeding Week, a week established to raise awareness of the gaping racial disparity in breastfeeding rates. Recent CDC data show that 58.9% of black women have ever breastfed versus 75% of white women. Common breastfeeding challenges...
Meet the Professional: What Does a Lactation Consultant Do?
Many people assume that because breastfeeding is nature’s way of meeting our babies’ needs that nursing should come naturally. But many of us struggle to learn the carefully choreographed dance between mom and infant to make feeding successful! This is especially...
Breastfeeding Basics in the NICU
Breastfeeding can be challenging under the best of circumstances, but when your baby is in the NICU, a whole new set of challenges presents itself. Every family’s feeding journey looks different. Feeding your baby may not look the way you imagined it, but feeding...
My Journey as a Three-Time NICU Mom
When I share my story with new NICU parents, they are often astonished that all three of my children were in the NICU and that I made it through those challenging times. They may think I'm stronger than I am. Honestly, each time I got pregnant, I didn't believe my...
Hand to Hold’s Position Statement on Recent NEC Lawsuits
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a complicated and multifactorial disease that progresses rapidly in preterm and full term infants. The causes of NEC continue to be studied and researched by scientists and medical professionals. Hand to Hold supports the NEC...
Hand to Hold® Provides Mental Health Support for Texas Children’s Hospital NICU Families
Hand to Hold's Certified Mental Health Peer Specialists help NICU parents feel more confident in bonding with their baby, proven beneficial for long-term outcomes and positive care for the infant. HOUSTON, June 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hand to Hold, a...
Caring for Your Mental Health in the NICU
Photo by Emily Ingalls Photography by Lexi Losch, MA, LPC, NCC Having a baby in the NICU can be a stressful time for the entire family. You may be experiencing many ups and downs as you navigate this new life. You may feel helpless because you can’t help your baby...