Blog
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...
NICU Dad Discussions Part IV: Grief and Celebration with Erik Velez
"Be there in the present as much as possible, no matter the circumstances." This is part four of our four-part series created especially for NICU dads, by NICU dads. Read part one: 10 Things New NICU Dads Need to Know, part two: Rad White and the NICU Beard Club...
NICU Dad Discussions Part III: Micro Preemie Dad Jonathan Hayhurst
Meet Jonathan Hayhurst: high school coach, sports enthusiast, and micro preemie dad to Evie, born at just 24 weeks. Here Jonathan shares his experiences with coping in the NICU after a traumatic delivery.
NICU Dad Discussions Part II: Rad White & The NICU Beard Club
Meet Rad White: NICU dad of boy/girl twins born at 29 weeks and 6 days, author, Aussie and advocate for NICU dads worldwide. Rad started The NICU Beard Club to give other dads just like him the support they needed, but couldn't find.
NICU Dad Discussions Part I: 10 Things NICU Dads Need to Know
This is part one of a four-part series created especially for NICU dads, by NICU dads. Read part two: Rad White and the NICU Beard Club, part three: Micro Preemie Dad Jonathan Hayhurst and part four: Grief and Celebration with Erik Velez. by Alex Zavala Before I...
The Day We Truly Graduated from 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 life will never be quite the same, I am overjoyed that my son is about to take flight. Not because he is a difficult kid with a smart mouth and a messy room, but because there was a long period of time that I did not know if he would live or go to school or live on his own.
Micro Preemies Give Back to the NICU Where Life Started as They Approach Graduation Weekend
AUSTIN, Texas, May 23, 2019 – As graduation season nears, Hand to Hold went back to where it all started: St. David’s Medical Center (SDMC). Born two days apart, Jackson Kelley and twins Luke and Gabe DeYoung spent months in the SDMC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Why I Started Therapy: Real Stories from Real NICU and Bereaved Parents
Oftentimes the emotional impact of a NICU stay can surface weeks, months or even years later after your baby is discharged. Emotions can quickly turn from joy and gratitude to anger and resentment and back again. It's important for parents and caregivers of...
Why I’m Open About My Mental Health Challenges After the NICU
As I rapidly approach my 50s, I find I don’t care quite as much as I once did about what other people think of me. It is one of the few things about getting older that I appreciate. It is a refreshing change to be comfortable in my own skin. Once I would have been...
Mindfulness & Self-Compassion for NICU Parents
By Nandini Narayanan, LCSW, C-IAYT, 500RYT, Reiki, NICU Parent True compassion always includes ourselves. –Jack Kornfield Since the birth of our micro preemie twelve years ago at 25 weeks, 3 days, weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces, mindfulness and self-compassion are...
PTSD and NICU Parents
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,...