This is by far my favorite time of year to spread Christmas cheer in the NICU. Last year, our Parent Advisory Council wanted to find a way to give back directly to the NICU families, so we organized our first community event and called it Parent to Parent. A group of us former NICU parents from the council came together to support and encourage current NICU parents. We purchased water bottles and brought snacks such as cookies and fruit. We had several families stop by the lounge and nibble on some snacks before heading back into the unit with there babies. Some families wanted to share their experience and we listened quietly while they recalled the details of their birth and the moments there after. It was amazing to be able to connect with the families and act as a peer support. As someone who has experienced that heart wrenching journey to be able to provide comfort and support for these families in the midst of their NICU journey was a gift to us all.
This year, through generous donations from Trader Joes we were able to provide quite the spread—including fresh fruit, a wide array of Christmas cookies, granola bars, potato chips, water bottles and juice boxes for the NICU siblings. We aligned the lobby and greeted families as they came into the unit.
We were also excited that our T-shirts arrived just in time for us to wear them at the event.
In addition to providing the snacks in the lobby. We also distributed gift bags to every family in the unit. The gift bags contained toothbrushes and toothpaste, hand sanitizer, tissues, and snacks. Being able to personally deliver these to the bedside of the parents was an amazing experience.