Blog
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 true...
10 Questions About Providing Breast Milk to Your NICU Baby
This article was created in partnership with Medela. Reviewed and updated in August 2021. Medela asked NICU moms what questions they have about providing breast milk to their premature babies, and teamed up with Hand to Hold to provide their expert guidance to...
Opinion: NICU Parents Are Being Left in the Dark
by Jennifer Canvasser, MSW Founder and Executive Director of NEC Society When my twins, Micah and Zachary, were born at 27 weeks gestation, I struggled with intense feelings of shame and guilt, on top of being unfamiliar with the NICU and how to help my babies...
The Moment I Started Breathing Again After My Traumatic Birth Experience & NICU Stay
"Many judged harshly or didn’t understand, so they left us alone rather than offer support." by Courtney S. Our daughter was rushed to the NICU hours after being born. She was born at 41 weeks, after a perfect, healthy, normal pregnancy. We were thrown into a...
Bereaved Parents Awareness Month
UPDATED 6/22/2021 July is annually recognized as Bereaved Parents Awareness Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness of the support necessary when one endures the loss of a child. Over the years we have had the bittersweet pleasure to feature the heartfelt...
Cherish the Moments, No Matter How Small: Adam Wood of Our Preemie Adventure
This page contains affiliate links. Hand to Hold only recommends products we’ve either personally checked out ourselves or come from people we know and trust. For doing so, Hand to Hold may receive a commission, which helps us fund the development of the valuable...
NICU Mom Graduates from College Wearing Hand to Hold Sash
Earlier this year, we received an unusual, but lovely request from one of our peer mentors. Michele Randolph wrote to tell us that she was graduating from UNC Charlotte in May, with dual degrees in History and Africana Studies, and she wanted to honor her NICU...
Introducing Our New Logo, Mission and Values!
Hand to Hold has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. We've expanded from a small organization focused on support of NICU families in Austin, TX to serving tens of thousands of NICU parents annually across the country and around the world. In...
Resilience and Former NICU Families
Resilience is an odd term. Its meaning varies so wildly. It’s typically used to describe some inherent personal quality, i.e. “look how resilient they are!” I know better. While there are aspects that are personal, there are many more layers that have nothing to do...
5 Myths about cold, flu and RSV
UPDATED APRIL 2021 Cold, flu and RSV season is here, and the chances of catching and spreading viruses and infections increases as kids go to school, daycare, and as families get out and about. NICU parents dread this time of year when we have to weigh the risks of...
Setting Boundaries in the NICU and at Home
Setting boundaries along our micro preemie journey was about encouraging physical, developmental, and emotional health, for all of us. We began setting boundaries prior to the birth of our micro preemies at 28 weeks, 5 days. It started while we tried to get...
