Blog
Congratulations to our 2023 NICU Hero Award Winners!
We received more than 55 entries for the 2023 NICU Hero Award Contest, and we're thrilled to announce our two winners in the NICU Hero category and the NICU Team category! The winners were recognized in our 2023 NICU Mental Health Conference on November 1-2. Read all...
Invisible Disabilities: Advocating for the Unseen
Parents of preemies often remark on how one can never quite seem to leave the NICU behind. Sometimes they are referring to the emotional effects of a traumatic birth and NICU stay. Sometimes they are referring to the aftermath of prematurity itself: developmental...
Meet the Professional: What Does a Dietician Do?
While a baby was in the NICU they are often cared for by a NICU dietitian who monitored their nutrition, caloric intake, and growth. After discharge parents must continue to monitor their baby's nutritional needs. A good discharge plan can help, but it is crucial...
Safe Sleep Practices for Baby
by Hand to Hold staff, in collaboration with SafeKids Austin & Travis County Medical Examiner There are few pleasures that can compare with holding your sleeping baby in your arms. Any parent who has spent time in the NICU can tell you exactly what it meant to...
Sleep Awareness Week & Preemie Sleep Challenges
The National Sleep Foundation is celebrating its annual Sleep Awareness Week March 6th through March 13th, to raise awareness for the health benefits of sleep and its importance to safety and productivity. If there's one thing new parents (and parents of preemies) have in common it is lack of sleep. A 2014 study showed that new moms were still sleep deprived after eighteen weeks of giving birth. There are hoards of articles with sleep tips for parents and recommendations for how many hours of sleep babies and toddlers need, but what if they don't help?
5 Things You Need to Know about Enterovirus
In 2014 unusually high cases of enterovirus swept the nation. Find out more about the respiratory disease and how to prevent it.
Praying for a Miracle: Junu’s Story
Our dreams were shattered when we got to know that we had to terminate the pregnancy at 23 weeks. We prayed for a miracle, and we got one!
Words of Wisdom for Mamas on Bedrest
by Darline Turner-Lee, bedrest coach and founder of Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond Bed rest sucks! No doubt about it. I am constantly amazed and humbled at how mamas on bed rest stay focused, stay positive and stay supportive of one another. I am honored that...
{Professional Insight} What is NICU Family-Centered Care?
by Dr. Patrick Hodges I have been caring for newborns and their families in neonatal intensive care units for over 25 years. I have seen incredible advancements, which have had historic impacts on the care and outcomes of these fragile babies. I can say...
The Journey to Ear Tubes
Prematurity is the gift that keeps on giving. Even if you were lucky enough to escape the NICU with no lingering complications, sometimes issues will crop up much later that leave you wondering if prematurity is rearing its ugly head again. For us, it has been...
Huggies Launches New Nano Preemie Diaper
This month Huggies® launched their smallest diaper yet, the Little Snugglers Nano Preemie diaper, designed to fit micro preemies weighing under two pounds. Develoed in partnership with NICU nurses as a part of Huggies'® No Baby Unhugged program, the diaper is...