https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:41:29 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927543 Mon, 10 Oct 2022 17:31:23 +0000 karenbme 2927543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LadyDi: they’re lucky to have you! Fingers crossed everything goes as smoothly as possible for them and your niece. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927541 Sat, 08 Oct 2022 16:54:18 +0000 togetherthroughlife 2927541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LadyDi: Love this! They’re lucky to have you. Welcome baby niece! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927539 Sat, 08 Oct 2022 13:56:27 +0000 LadyDi 2927539@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks all for the suggestions! My lovely new niece was born the other day. We had their house cleaned for them before they went to the hospital because my SIL said she was stressed about cleaning and I put together a little NICU care package using everyone's suggestions...mostly easy to carry snacks (my SIL is GF) so some GF granola bars and rice snacks, plaintain chips, trail mix, cookies, hand lotion, reusable snack bags for them to pack in and a starbucks gift card. I'll likely drop off some meals for them in a month or so. I know they have had neighbors making food for them so I think they are good at home for the time being. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927477 Fri, 23 Sep 2022 10:28:20 +0000 superkate 2927477@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just have a 7.5 week NICU stay this summer so this is fresh in my mind. </p> <p>If they have other children offer babysitting so both parents can go to the NICU at the same time. My son was in summer school/camp for most of our stay so weekdays were easy but it was hard on the weekends. DH and I had to take shifts at the NICU so someone could be home with our son. Pet care is also great. </p> <p>Food train/Grubhub gift cards: We had food provided for us for the first few weeks and it was SO nice not to have to worry about making dinner. We received a combination of grubhub and dropped off meals, both were amazing.</p> <p>Cleaning: That's a great idea, I would have loved not to have to worry about keeping our house clean. </p> <p>Gas cards: Depending on how far away their NICU is gas money would be so helpful. We were lucky that ours was only 5 minutes away but I knew people who drive long distances every day. </p> <p>Things I wouldn't want:</p> <p>Baby clothing: No one ever knows how long their baby will be in the NICU, so buying clothes that may never be used is a waste. </p> <p>Also when talking to them, I preferred if people would check in by saying, "How are you doing?" instead of "How's baby?" And I appreciated frequent check-ins. The whole experience is very isolating so it's nice to know that people cared. </p> <p>And please never ask when the baby is coming home. No one has those answers, timelines change, discharges get pushed back. It's so much easier to take one day at a time and celebrate the small milestones and not skip ahead to all that baby still needs to accomplish. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927476 Tue, 20 Sep 2022 20:13:05 +0000 togetherthroughlife 2927476@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It’s so thoughtful of you to want to help. I’m twice a NICU mom and while every hospital is different there will be some things that are universally helpful. Both above comments have some great ideas. Here are some more!</p> <p>Hospital meal vouchers/credits. For the cafeteria for them to be able to get what they need while staying.</p> <p>A care package for the new mom! Depending on how close you are to the mom some of these may be uncomfortable but these are all things I would have appreciated:<br /> Disposable nursing pads (traveling back and forth to the NICU all day means I was never home for long and of course with my milk and often pumping at my baby’s bedside, I need these often), Depends (the mesh/pad contraption is so difficult to try to change around the NICU - Depends made things so much easier), hand sanitizer, hand lotion (sooo much washing made my hands so dry), pretty floral pattern disposable masks, a big water bottle (with a straw! one-hand access), some snacks she likes that are portable, coffee gift cards (if there’s a certain coffee place on their route to the hospital and back or if the hospital has a chain within its corridor those were always easier), phone battery pack or long charger, a small journal and nice pens (they’re going to be taking lots of medical notes and also may want to process things emotionally through journaling)</p> <p>Some things they won’t really need - diapers and wipes (the NICU will provide all those needs for the baby for the entirety of the stay), pacis, bottles or any feeding things (again the nicu provides all that)</p> <p>It may be nice if you have access to their house to keep their fridge and freezer stocked for them. Have other family members coordinate who could bring frozen meals that they could enjoy when they are home. If it’s just the two of them eating, have people make smaller portions. When I had my first, I was overwhelmed by all the 9x13 casserole sized dishes people brought. They were delicious but it was just two adults eating between NICU commutes! :)</p> <p>Hope this helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927475 Tue, 20 Sep 2022 18:15:15 +0000 karenbme 2927475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When DD was in the NICU I never wanted to leave her bedside, so food they can bring with them or that you can bring to them (or even a snack basket for the NICU) is what I would have wanted. I can’t tell you how many nutrigrain bars I ate out of our NICU’s snack supply. We couldn’t get delivery to the NICU, so delivery gift cards wouldn’t have helped us. In the same vein anything you can do to take care of the dog and make sure (s)he gets human interaction or tend to their house will be so appreciated. Every one of my houseplants died or nearly died in 2 weeks of NICU time.</p> <p>If you want to get baby clothes, outfits that snap up the front leave room for all the wires to attach to the monitors baby will need. Normally baby clothes with lots of snaps are awful, but it’s the only way they can be dressed in the NICU. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927474 Tue, 20 Sep 2022 16:03:46 +0000 agold 2927474@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You and your family are angels. Maybe you can also have their house cleaned so that it is very clean and smells fresh and sterile when they get home. Hard to have that feel with a dog in the house, but a clean home is always the best to come home to under any circumstance. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/support-for-a-nicu-stay#post-2927473 Tue, 20 Sep 2022 13:32:56 +0000 LadyDi 2927473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My SIL and BIL are facing a long NICU stay when their baby is born in October (due to surgery for a heart defect). Does anyone have suggestions for the best way to support them? It could possibly be months before the baby is able to go home and we're local so we're going to offer to do things like mow their lawn and hang out with their dog. They have had a rough summer for a variety of reasons so we've already provided some gift cards for local restaurants so they can get take out. Any other ideas? </p>