I came across an article today about a group of NICU nurses who created a children’s book to help siblings understand why their baby brother or sister is spending so much time in the hospital.
As someone whose youngest daughter, Lina, was born at 28 weeks and spent just over two months in the NICU, this story hit especially close to home.
When people think about a NICU stay, they naturally focus on the baby and the parents. But a NICU journey affects the entire family. Siblings are often left trying to understand why Mom and Dad are constantly at the hospital, why the baby isn’t home yet, and why everything suddenly feels different.
That’s what I found so touching about this project. These nurses recognized that siblings have questions, fears, and feelings too, and they created a resource specifically for them.
One of the things I’ll always remember about our NICU experience is the compassion of the nurses who cared not only for our daughter, but for our entire family. Reading about this project reminded me just how much those small acts of kindness matter.
You can read more about the project here.
For those of you who have experienced a NICU stay, what is one thing you wish more people understood about that journey?