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Although the NICU experience will always be a part of our journey, it is now time for us to move on from running this amazing group and dedicate that time back to our families. We have two remarkable, little boys between us, plus patient and supportive husbands, who all need us now, more than ever.
We have so enjoyed creating and fostering this wonderful community! As much as we hope we’ve helped some of you to cope and heal from your NICU experiences, you’ve truly helped our hearts to heal as well. We have gained so much from all of you!
Beginning September 1st, Hand to Hold will be managing our unique parent support forum and website.
Hand to Hold is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive navigation resources and support programs for parents of preemies, babies born with special health care needs and those who have experienced a loss due to these or other complications. You might remember that we featured them in February as part of our Give Back series.
The work of Hand to Hold left a lasting impression on us from our early days, when we viewed their video, “Understanding PTSD After a NICU Stay”. The following quote comes from that powerful video and really spoke to why fostering this group was so important to us and why we believe that finding a community of support is so key to emotional and mental healing after a NICU stay:
“All NICU parents should not be ashamed by admitting that they’re having difficulty coping. I urge all NICU parents to seek out support – whether from NICU staff, parent support groups, social workers or professional therapists. The good news is that with appropriate emotional support, most NICU parents emerge from this terrible experience psychologically stronger. Research clearly shows that the most common human adjustments to trauma are resilience and posttraumatic growth. High-risk parents know how to do the heavy lifting… endurance is their middle name… and they know they have moved mountains.”
– Dr. Michael T. Hynan, PhD
We hope that participating in Life after NICU so far has given you some of the support you were seeking… all we’ve ever wanted is to make a difference for at least one person.
Don’t worry, we’ll still be around… in fact, you may even hear from us from time to time on the page, and we plan to participate more casually in the community as well. We will always be members of the NICU parent club.
Thank you for supporting one another, for encouraging each other, for offering up your experiences and advice to one another. Thank you for helping us to grow this group to numbers we never imagined (over 10,000 followers on Facebook – unreal!), and for spreading the word to others. Thank you for helping other NICU parents, like you, realize that they are not alone.
We have LOVED serving you here at Life after NICU. This group has given us a sense of purpose, and we have all of you to thank for that.
