Hand to Hold's official blog
Rachel Pasquale (ME) is the mother to Isabella, her only child, born at 23 weeks, weighing 1 pound 6 ounces. After 107 days in the NICU she and her husband welcomed home a healthy baby. Despite being well supported during her entire journey, Rachel felt a profound sense of isolation, often feeling that those around her did not truly understand what she was going through. Her desire to help herself and others feel less lonely navigating the NICU led her to Preemie Babies 101. In addition to contributing to this website, Rachel is a member of the NICU Family Advisory Council at the hospital her daughter once called home. You can contact her through Facebook or via email.
This question echoed in my mind. In the days after my daughter’s premature birth, I often wondered if I could call myself a mother. It sounds a little silly now, but back then it was a very real question. I was unable to do motherly things like breast feed and snuggle my newborn or even [...]
For the most part, I have been blessed with good health. The few times I contracted a cold or infection, I went to the doctor and got a prescription and a day later I would start feeling better. In my limited experience, doctors could fix things. And until my pregnancy complications, I believed they could [...]
Shortly after our daughter was discharged from the NICU we received a call from our home health agency. We were assigned a nurse who came to our house regularly for weight checks and to administer her monthly dose of Synagis. Our nurse was amazing, providing us with the reassurance that all NICU parents need, while [...]
Finding hope in the NICU was a challenging task for me. There were no pictures with stories of NICU graduates lining the walls. There were mostly just statistics that wove a tale of despair. The doctors and nurses were reluctant to offer any hope, perhaps themselves being fearful of the outcome. Nearly all my questions were [...]
My first time holding Isabella, May 31st 2010, I don’t have a clear memory of the first time I saw Isabella. It was a few hours after my c-section. The doctors had been able to stabilize her in the NICU and I got the green light to go see her. I don’t remember how I got [...]
Hand to Hold is a nonprofit 501(c)3 parent support organization and information and resources provided here do not intend to take the place of the relationship between a patient and personal physician.