Blog
Stay Healthy! Tips for Visiting the Pediatrician with Preemies or NICU Grads
by Jenna Maxfield Twinkle lights adorn houses; mistletoe hangs from doorways. It must be the holidays, but that also means it’s cold, flu and RSV season. While there are many precautions parents can take to protect their NICU graduates from contracting any of these...
Book Review: Twin to Twin: From High-Risk Pregnancy to Happy Family
For those planning a family, the news of a pregnancy can fill parents-to-be with excitement and maybe a little uncertainty. For those who have struggled with infertility, it can be an overwhelming mixture of emotions ranging from elation to terror. Author Crystal...
Patience (and Hard Work) Pays Off
I know patience is a virtue, but I don’t have any! You would think that two NICU stays in less than three years would have given me ample opportunity to learn patience as I waited for my babies to be discharged home. But unfortunately, patience is just not part of...
How Your Year End Gift Makes a Difference in the Lives of NICU Families
As 2018 draws to a close, there's still time to make your tax-deductible gift to Hand to Hold! Make your donation today as a one-time gift, a sustaining gift or an Honor Gift in honor or memory of family or child. Find out exactly how your gift has an impact on the...
Team Hand to Hold: 3 Ways to Get Involved
A NICU stay is a marathon, not a sprint. Team Hand to Hold is with you every step of the way. Everyone is invited to join Team Hand to Hold! Runners and walkers of all levels can sign up to run on behalf of Hand to Hold in the Austin Marathon, Half Marathon, or...
The Reason We Fight
It’s early on a cold Friday morning, we’re loading up the car to drive two and a half hours to an out-of-state hospital. It’s one of the top children’s hospitals in the country. It’s a place I never dreamed we’d need. It’s been almost four-and-a-half years since we...
Discovering Courage Through My Preemie
Nine years ago, I built my life on the worldly definition of success and career-oriented values. Complications in my pregnancy led the life I built to crumble. This led to burnout and hopelessness at a time when most people experience joy. Giovanni was born two and...
Preemies are Built of Stronger Stuff
The first time I held my son, I was terrified he would break. It took the help of a nurse to collect all the wires and place him curled and snuggled into my chest. What if I accidentally pulled on a tube or did something to inadvertently hurt him? I imagined the...
Fight Like a Preemie; Fight Like Theo
Given that my husband is stubborn and I’m tenacious, it did not come as a surprise that Theo, our ex-27 week preemie, came out equally strong-willed and spirited. And it was that stubbornness that saved him. From the beginning Theo had it rough. He had jaundice...
#FightLikeAPreemie with Hand to Hold and #GivingTuesday
NICU babies are fighters. From the moment they’re born, they fight every second for their lives with pluck and a resilience that amazes everyone around them. The families of these babies learn to roll with the punches and stay strong in the ring that is the NICU....
The Story of Francis Junebug
by Kelsey Londos I was admitted to the hospital when my midwife discovered my blood pressure was through the roof. She suspected preeclampsia and told us to expect to stay in the hospital until I gave birth. I was crushed, knowing I would not have the natural home...