Hand to Hold's official blog
Our daughter Adeline has been wearing glasses since she was thirteen months old, nearly a year ago. For the first few months, we were questioned by a lot of people, “How did you know that she needed glasses?” Depending on the situation, I’ll sometimes give the short answer. “Addie was born prematurely and she visits [...]
Something many preemie parent’s have to deal with is the chance of long lasting effects, such as mental disabilities. Although Drake’s reasons were different than most preemies, we too were faced with the chances of having a child with special needs. During my pregnancy I had some hormones come back high, putting me in a [...]
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 [...]
In February, Afton wrote a terrific post about her pumping experience called “Nessie the Milk Cow.” Here’s an excerpt: One day I left the parent’s lounge balancing milk bottles carefully on my way to the freezer when I saw another mother leaving a pumping area with only one little bottle in her hand – and [...]
In the past two years, I have realized that having a child prematurely (or in our case, extremely prematurely) actually has some advantages. We don’t fear “normal” childhood emergencies (e.g. broken arm or stitches) like other parents do. Let’s face it—after dealing with Intraventricular Hemmorhage, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Respiratory Distress, Retinopathy of Prematurity, and/or Patent Ductus [...]
Now, most sources I found did not describe a Level IV NICU, but I have heard a few people say their preemie was in a Level IV NICU, so I was curious. I also read somewhere that a Level IV qualification was discontinued 15-20 years ago. I guess it’s confusing to a lot of people. [...]
The following is the definition of a Level III NICU according to two separate sources. It’s interesting to me that there are so many sublevels…why didn’t they just make NICU Levels IV, V, and VI? Just curious… “Level III: Subspecialty Newborn Care: Level III NICUs care for the sickest babies and offer the greatest variety [...]
Have you ever wondered what it means to be in a Level I NICU vs a Level IV NICU? I had no idea what the differences were between NICUs, so I decided to find out. A Level I NICU, or Level I Nursery is defined by two different sources as follows: 1. “Level 1 nurseries [...]
The President has proclaimed today, May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer. The following is one section of his proclamation: “Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly [...]
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.