Many parents find themselves in the NICU or PICU with their child. Whether it is prior to a loss, or for a second child (maybe a twin) who is still ill. My daughter was in the NICU for two days before she died. Gemma lived her entire life in the NICU, and it was only when we were saying goodbye to her that I was allowed to hold her in my arms. I still consider myself a "NICU Mama" even though my baby didn't graduate.

The baby I donated my breastmilk to had been in the NICU for a long time before graduating and going home. I know her mother was stressed and worried the entire time her sweet baby was in the NICU (the same NICU Gemma was in, just a few months before her). I'm sure resources like these would have been helpful for her during that time, which is why I wanted to provide these here.

Request a Carmen's Miracles Care Package if your child is in the NICU or PICU. We suggest making a donation to Carmen's Miracles in honor of your child as well so that it can help other families.

Bee Mighty is a Charlotte, NC organization dedicated to helping parents whose babies are in the NICU. They offer Antpartum & NICU care packages, NICU support services, mental health counseling grants, & developmental therapy and equipment to babies who need it. We suggest making a donation to Bee Mighty in honor of your child as well so that it can help other families.

NICU Helping Hands has tons of resources listed

The Tiny Miracles Foundation

Books for NICU/PICU

• “Juniper: The Girl Who Was Born Too Soon” by Kelley and Thomas French
• “Preemie: Lessons in Love, Life and Motherhood” by Kasey Mathews
• “Girl in Glass: How My ‘Distressed Baby’ Defied the Odds, Shamed a CEO, and Taught Me the Essence of Love, Heartbreak, and Miracles” by Deanna Fei
• “This Lovely Life” by Vicki Forman
• “From Hope to Joy: A Memoir of a Mother’s Determination and Her Micro Preemie’s Struggle to Beat the Odds” by Jennifer Degl
• “A Pound of Hope” by Michele Munro Kemper and Jennifer Kemper Sinconis
• “My Baby is a Superhero” by Stephanie Laskoskie
• “For the Love of Babies: One Doctor’s Stories About Life in the Neonatal ICU” by Sue L. Hall, M.D.
• “Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU” by Adam Wolfberg, M.D.
• “Carmen: The PICU Baby” by Sydney Hatcher
• “Almost Home: Stories of Hope and the Human Spirit in the Neonatal ICU” by Christine Gleason, M.D.
• “Preemie Primer” by Dr. Jen Gunter

I haven't read any of the above books yet, but they are on my reading list. If you have read any of these and have some recommendations (maybe your favorite or least favorite) please let me know.

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