How to love your favorite NICU family without asking, "How can I help?
When a NICU family is experiencing trauma or spending long periods of time at a hospital caring for their baby, often times the instinct to ask for help turns off. While phrases like, “Let me know if I can do anything!” are said with the best intentions, many NICU families simply won’t ask for help as their brains are focused solely on their baby. We wanted to share some practical and intentional ways that you can love on your favorite NICU family today. Support from friends and family in the NICU is SO important and needed!
FOOD
Meal Gift Cards
Take the family out to supper (Gets them out of the hospital!)
Grocery Gift Cards (Especially for grocery stores that have already made meals like Whole Foods)
GrubHub Gift Cards
Meal Trains
“When people just showed up, or said they were gonna do something to help me or sent gift cards. It was so exhausting to handle schedules (even though we have to) so when people just took it upon themselves to step in and/or step up, it meant a lot.”
HOUSE
Mowing the Lawn
Shoveling the Driveway/Sidewalks
Picking Garden Weeds
Put out the Trash
Clean their home (Break in and do it!)
Pay a professional home cleaner to clean their home
“A few friends came and visited with me. I didn’t have a lot of close friends in town, so it meant a lot to have them spend a little time with me at the hospital.”
FRIENDSHIP
Ask them what their baby’s current milestones are
Simply sit with them
Handwritten notes
“Taking our toddler on adventures without being involved in the planning. They would just say, “We are taking her to the zoo on __day__, so tell us what time works best.””
TRAVEL
Gas Cards (Especially if the family is commuting back and forth)
Offering transportation to other kids in the family for things like getting them home from school and delivering them to extra curricular activities
“I would’ve loved (especially after bringing our son home) someone or someone’s offering to call or come sit with me daily just for a bit. I think that would’ve helped me with my own mental health and trying navigate the fear that doesn’t just stay in the NICU.”
POST NICU
Lactation cookies, extra pump parts, bottle steamer bags, etc.
Continue to check in on family. Ask them how are they doing now that the dust has settled and they are adjusting to their new normal outside of the hospital.
