Blog
Hand to Hold Launches Season 6 of the NICU Babies, Parent Support Podcast
Season 6 of the NICU Babies, Parent Support podcast is here! This exciting new season will focus on life after a NICU admission, with honest and informative discussions about postpartum depression and anxiety, advocating for parental leave in your workplace,...
The Effect of Music and Serendipity
We never know when something random will become something important to know. This is my favorite example. When I was in eighth grade in 1988, I had to compete in Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS). I struggled to weave something I cared about into a...
What I Missed Out On the First Time & How to Help If It Happens Again
When your first child was born 14 weeks premature, like mine, the idea of a second pregnancy is, well, just a bit daunting. I feel strongly about postpartum care and how it's even more crucial when your pregnancy and/or child has any sort of medical or special...
Protecting Your Preemie from RSV
One of the greatest dangers to your preterm baby may be a preventable virus called RSV. RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization in all children fewer than 12 months of age. Premature infants are susceptible and vulnerable to this terrible virus and it is...
Identifying and Managing Delays in Sensory Integration in Children
As a child develops, so does their sensory system, allowing them to react to the world and the people in it. Most children are able to comprehend sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell and process them in a way that works seamlessly together. Some children, though,...
Pregnancy After Preterm Birth or Loss
by Felicia Nash, MD, OB/GYN Making the decision to try and conceive after a pregnancy loss or preterm birth involves both emotional and physical health components. Often couples faced with this decision spent agonizing weeks, months or years dealing with the...
Graduating from Therapy is Possible
The day you get the call your child is coming home from the NICU is one of the best feelings in the world. Then the emotions and realizations set in that my child is coming home, with monitors and cords galore as well as oxygen tanks, and we aren’t near ready. We...
RSV 101: What Every NICU Parent Needs to Know
For most infants, respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus (RSV) causes an illness like a common cold in the upper and lower respiratory tracts. But some babies, including those born preterm and those with special health care needs, may be at high risk for a...
Community is Everything: The Cason Family’s Story
Brandon and I are thrilled to be the first “couple” to co-chair Fourth Annual Baby Shower Luncheon benefiting Hand to Hold. We have worked all year with such fabulous volunteers who all have the same mission in mind: help raise money for Hand to Hold, so more NICU...
The Life-Long Struggle of a Medically Fragile Child + {Free Hospital Packing List}
My baby did not end up in the NICU because he was premature. He ended up in the NICU because he was medically fragile. Though these terms are certainly not mutually exclusive, many preemies--like my other child who was a 34 week feeder/grower--outgrow their...