Hand to Hold's official blog
If you are familiar with the preemie world, you have most likely heard the NICU experience referred to as a roller coaster. With all the baby steps forward and the major and minor setbacks along the way, parents often feel as if they are on a hair- raising carnival ride; and much like riding on [...]
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 [...]
Tactile sensation including massage, hugs and pats on the back have proven to accelerate recovery from illness, calm us when we are afraid and even help premature babies gain weight.This is not surprising given that our skin is our body’s largest organ. When our skin’s sensory receptors are stimulated, the hormone oxytocin, the “love hormone,” [...]
This story was thoughtfully submitted by one of our readers, Tricia. I never thought I’d end up a mommy blogger. A world-famous Newbery Medal recipient, sure, but it instead appears my writing talents have headed down the road less traveled. One of my girlfriends started blogging about the random stories of mommyhood shortly after I [...]
What is a typical day like in the life of a preemie mom? I was just thinking that it would be interesting to share our different experiences. Let’s start with a day during our preemie’s NICU stay. I’ll take a day out of my own experience, about 2 months into my daughter’s NICU stay, during [...]
Our NICU experience came with a lot of “Boy, I wish I had known that earlier…” moments. Music therapy falls into that category! We were told about our hospital’s music therapy program a few months after our daughter was born. The therapy team was a group of musicians who traveled around the hospital, playing music [...]
This story was shared by Lindsay, one of our readers. I am writing to share our story of our 24 week (15 ounces) miracle with you…JACK MATTHEW Now a little timeline of our whirlwind before I begin. Matt and I had our first date in april 2005, engaged 2 weeks later, married 1 year later, [...]
Most parents have heard of jaundice – when bilirubin levels are high and it causes a yellowing of the skin. Doctors will have parents put their babies in the sunlight, perhaps have them nap under a sunny window. For most full term babies a little sunlight will fix the problem. Many preemie babies are at [...]
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers who have endured and sacrificed so much for your tiny preemie babies during their difficult first months of life (and beyond, of course). It takes special dedication and love to care for a preemie, and many of you mothers put your own lives at risk just to get [...]
Almost every preemie parent has to experience going home without their baby. Some parents have to leave their baby in the care of the NICU for days, some for weeks, and some for months. No matter how long your baby is in the NICU, you have to face the sorrow, the fear, the anxiety, and [...]
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.