http://www.preemiebabies101.com Hand to Hold's official blog Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/patience-is-the-key/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/patience-is-the-key/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:05 +0000 Melissa McMurchy http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4809 One of the biggest lessons I have learned from having a preemie, our NICU stay, and even now at home is to have patience. Patience is something I have never really had but having preemies has definitely changed that. When I got pregnant with the girls I wasn’t really worried or had a care besides [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/patience-is-the-key/feed/ 0 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/not-delayed-enough/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/not-delayed-enough/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:36 +0000 Keira Sorrells http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4820 Like many parents of preemies, I have remained hyper-vigilant about the care and development of my surviving micropreemie triplets.  Early on we are taught how important Early Intervention is to ensure our babies hit their milestones as infants and toddlers.  My husband and I felt our girls started life with so much stacked against them [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/not-delayed-enough/feed/ 2 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/embracing-delays-for-our-school-bound-preemie/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/embracing-delays-for-our-school-bound-preemie/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 12:30:50 +0000 Joel Brens http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4827 Our son Jayden has accomplished so much in his first three years. How he has grown as an explorer, learner, and social butterfly has been quite exciting. Since his second birthday, Jayden has been receiving therapy through Early Intervention, which has certainly helped him along. Despite all of his accomplishments, he still has a way [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/embracing-delays-for-our-school-bound-preemie/feed/ 3 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/am-i-a-mother/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/am-i-a-mother/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 12:30:10 +0000 Rachel Pasquale http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4796 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 [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/am-i-a-mother/feed/ 5 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/printables-mothers-day-in-the-nicu/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/printables-mothers-day-in-the-nicu/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 12:30:14 +0000 Amy Carr http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4883 Mother’s Day during or after a baby’s stay in the neonatal intensive care unit is a milestone celebrated with joy and tears. So many emotions accompany the decision to have a child, to become a mother and to weather the storm that accompanies a baby’s hospital stay or loss. When words are not adequate to [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/printables-mothers-day-in-the-nicu/feed/ 0 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/ways-to-celebrate-the-nicu-mom-on-mothers-day/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/ways-to-celebrate-the-nicu-mom-on-mothers-day/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 12:30:26 +0000 Franchesca Cox http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4831 From the moment I first laid eyes on my tiny one pounder baby girl, I wrestled with many emotions that caused me to question whether or not I deserved to be a mom. Of course, I did everything ‘right’. I took prenatals, ate right, and followed the doctor’s instructions when she put me on hospital [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/ways-to-celebrate-the-nicu-mom-on-mothers-day/feed/ 0 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/nicu-heroes-awards-recognize-greatness/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/nicu-heroes-awards-recognize-greatness/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 12:30:07 +0000 Kelli Kelley http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4879 Our NICU Journey Was Paved with Heroes I met many heroes during my son’s NICU stay. From our fearless neonatologist who never gave up on my micro-preemie despite significant challenges, to respiratory therapists who helped my baby defy the odds. There were lactation consultants with unending patience, and social workers who moved mountains. Our NICU nurses were each [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/nicu-heroes-awards-recognize-greatness/feed/ 0 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/fb-chat-supporting-older-siblings/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/fb-chat-supporting-older-siblings/#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 12:30:55 +0000 Amy Carr http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4858 Hand to Hold, a national NICU parent support nonprofit, hosted a FB Chat on April 30, 2013 with Child Life Specialist Julie May of Dell Children's Medical Center who facilitated a discussion on ways to care for siblings during and after a baby's NICU stay. This is an archive of that chat session. [Read more]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/fb-chat-supporting-older-siblings/feed/ 0 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/hello-my-name-is-guilt/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/hello-my-name-is-guilt/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 12:30:21 +0000 Heather Hucks http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4793 I pushed the elevator button for the 7th floor. The doors opened, we stepped off and started the familiar walk past the waiting area of balloons and flowers. We didn’t need to stop at the receptionist desk, they knew us. We stopped giving our parent code two months ago. We did not have to show our hospital bracelets. The [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/05/hello-my-name-is-guilt/feed/ 17 http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/04/home-based-vs-clinic-based-therapy/ http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/04/home-based-vs-clinic-based-therapy/#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:30:31 +0000 Lindsay Franks http://www.preemiebabies101.com/?p=4675 When we brought our former 23-weeker home from the NICU, we knew we had a long road of therapy ahead of us. After all, he was a 23 weeker, with bilateral grade 4 bleeds and at a high risk for developing CP. We knew he would need therapy. Before we left the NICU, we had [...]]]> http://www.preemiebabies101.com/2013/04/home-based-vs-clinic-based-therapy/feed/ 2