Blog

Joining a NICU Support Group: How to Find and Connect with Others Who Understand
Are you navigating a challenging experience, such as having a baby in the NICU? You might feel alone or isolated during this difficult time. Please know that you don’t have to go through it alone. Joining a NICU support group can provide the comfort and connection you...
Peer Support vs. Counseling: Which is right for you?
When it comes to finding the right support to guide you through the NICU and help you process your experiences, you may be curious about the options available through Hand to Hold. Here we’ll talk about two types of support Hand to Hold offers: peer support and...
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...