If you have ever had a child in the NICU, you know what a scary, uncertain time it can be, and many of us in the multiples community know exactly what that feels like. One of our quad moms, Jen Murray, is using her own experience to help to make the experience a little smoother for the families facing the NICU and we would like to share this amazing idea with all of you! We are jumping aboard this project with both feet and are looking forward to seeing how we can help the project as a community!
The NICU Survival Kit project entails assembling care packages for families who have a child, or multiple children in the NICU. I remember vividly what it was like in those days; being totally hormonal, scared for my kids health, wondering if the nurses were really taking good care of them, not really knowing what I was supposed to be doing.. I really could have used a helping hand from a family who had been through it. Read more about the kits, and how you can get involved:
L: What items do you include in the kits? What items do you specifically need right now?
J: Preemie Blankets, Disposable Cameras, Name Cards for the Isolettes, Hand Lotion, Chapstick, Goodies for Siblings, Snacks, “On the Night You Were Born” Storybook, Feeding Schedule Book, Travel Sized Tissues, and a handful of personalized items
Cameras, Scrapbook Supplies and/or Pre-Made Scrapbookish 4×6 Name Cards, Sponsored Kits, Nonperishable Snacks, Travel Sized Tissues
L: Do you simply drop off assembled kits at the hospital when you have them ready?
J: If they are local I try to drop them off personally, otherwise they are shipped.
L: Who decides which families receive them?
J: Currently, my husband and I consider each family referred based on our financial ability to send them out, and the length/need for the kit. For instance a 36 weeker with no life-threatening issues is not a good fit. Does that make sense?
L: Do you have any personal contact with the recipients?
J: I try to get to know them each personally through meeting them face to face (when possible), emails, blog sharing, etc.
L: I know in one post on your blog, you said you are not asking for donations of items- do you accept them if people want to send you items for the NICU kits?
J: Recently we started doing so.
L: Do you gear the kits towards families with multiples? Do you assemble them with specific families in mind or are they all the same?
J: In the past we only catered to multiples, but now we are sending them to very early singletons as well. The multiples kits have some ingredients that the singletons do not, as well as more quantity of some items.
There are several ways that you can help support this project! Multiples and More is in the process of assembling NICU stories/words of wisdom to be included in a pamphlet for NICU kits, so if you have a story that you think would be helpful to a family dealing with the NICU experience, please submit it to info@multiplesandmore.com!
We are working on starting this program in our local community, but if you have items that you would like to donate for the kits, please contact Jen at NICUkits@4tunate.net.
You can hear about the NICU kits from Jen herself here in her Fox News interview!
Be sure to stop by Jen’s blog, 4tunate to let her know what you think about this exciting project!
I finally updated my blog…
Do any of you get asked if you have a favorite kid? I do!!
There can't be too much hand lotion in those survival kits. I think I scrubbed my hands raw during our NICU days!
That is a great idea! Which we had one when we were travelling back and forth.
One of the most thoughtful things we received when our triplets were in the NICU, were small spiral-bound notebooks for each of the babies. These small notebooks were donated by people to the NICU and were left next to the baby's isolette so that any nurses or visitors (friends and family) could jot down their thoughts.
I wrote and wrote in these notebooks when I was visiting the babies during their six week stay. And since I was so sick I wasn't able to see my newborns right away, it is (and was) so nice to look back on the loving words that were written by the people who were cheering them on.
For example…
"Happy Birthday Baby Girl B! Your mom and dad are still choosing a name for you. You are super cute with beautiful dark hair and blonde highlights. I gave you your 1st bath while your daddy watched. We also took pictures of the three of you to show your mom who is recovering, upstairs. You weigh 3 pounds, 2 ounces and are just a little bit smaller than your brother and sister, but that's OK because good things come in small packages. Signed, (with hearts) Somer, RN"
I'd definitely recommend adding small notebooks to any NICU Survival Kit. They are such a gift!!
What a fantastic idea! The community of post-NICU parents is one that has to be experienced to be understood.
Sadia…I don't think you could put it any other way. No one understand what you go through during a NICU experience until they've lived it themselves. I think this is an amazing idea, the NICU Kits. I wish we had had a little more support from while our girls were in the NICU for almost 7 weeks. I mean, our family was a huge support but as far as from the hospital I felt a little unacknowledged. If we had received a NICU kit I think knowing there was someone there showing they understood would have put us at more ease.