Why do we need a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month? What would I hope, as a doctor in the NICU and former NICU parent, that people who have not had a personal experience with the NICU would learn during this month?

For many people, I think the first surprise about the NICU is that we do not get to spend as much time as we might like rocking and feeding babies.

NICU babies keep an entire team of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, and physical, occupational, and speech therapists busy every day, making sure that they can breathe, gain weight, fight off germs, take a pacifier, and do many of the things we take for granted.

When NICU babies can breathe and grow without special equipment, IV lines, or incubators, it becomes time for us to start turning the care over to parents and families so that they can go home.

So, when people hear that we have an entire hospital floor dedicated to just babies, they think we must be inundated with baby snuggles! But the truth is that the NICU team helps babies overcome infections, surgeries, or prematurity itself so that they can snuggle their family.

Being a healthcare provider in the NICU is still incredibly special because we get to witness some of the most beautiful moments of parenthood: first holds, first feeds, and first time going home. We also get to be there for the first moments that babies start to be aware of the world around them. Those moments are pure magic and help us keep going on the tough days.

Paying attention to the tiny details of a baby’s facial expressions or body language can tell us as the NICU team that they are getting sick or feeling better on a particular day, even though the babies can’t speak for themselves. A tiny adjustment in breathing support, a small change in the way a baby is held during a feeding, or a slight increase in a medication dose can help a baby get home faster.

It feels like a privilege to get to know our NICU babies this well and share our team’s expertise as they start life in an incredibly fragile state but often become the most resilient people you know.

I wholeheartedly believe that statement, as my own children were premature, and I can vividly remember my 2 lb. daughter breathing 100 times per minute over her first couple days of age. My husband looked at me across her incubator and nervously asked how long she could breathe that fast. Wouldn’t she tire out? But instead of tiring out, she figured out the whole breathing job with the help of my NICU colleagues. Her schoolteacher last year said she always gives 100% and then some. It has been true since she was born.

What a NICU journey looks and feels like for parents is another thing that I would hope people can understand more after NICU Awareness Month. I look back now with some nostalgia for their tiny fingers and toes. But, in real time, it is scary to have your child start their life in the ICU.

Having a hospitalized child is incredibly stressful at any age, but parents of older children can rely on their knowledge of what comforts or distracts their child during a hospital stay. Starting as a NICU parent, you are still learning your child’s personality for the first time, along with their illness. NICU mothers are often still recovering from illness around childbirth themselves.

So many NICU parents that are still early in their child’s journey need a hug or a friend to listen to how they are feeling. They need reassurance they have done nothing wrong to bring about this powerless feeling and their child’s need for NICU care. NICU parents find their footing with the help of their families and the NICU team, and they start to see all the ways they can bring their child comfort during the NICU stay.

So, what can you do for new parents going through a NICU stay? My advice would be to offer to cook a meal or do some laundry. Try not to ask when the baby is coming home. If we know, we will shout it out! Be willing to just listen or sit quietly next to us if our baby has had a setback. We know that taking a couple steps forward and then a step backward is common for preemies, but it doesn’t take away the worry as a parent.

If you’re lucky enough to come for a visit after a NICU baby comes home, remember that they are still at higher risk for infections in the first several months of age. So, if you don’t feel well or think your allergies may be suddenly acting up, wait until you are sure you’re better to come see them. Wash your hands even if you feel fine.
Finally, I would hope that more people would realize how often our friends, neighbors, and family members have needed the NICU. Nearly 1,000 babies need NICU care at WVU Medicine Children’s each year. Some need to stay a few days, but many need to stay several weeks to recover from serious illnesses or extreme prematurity.

Our NICU team has grown in recent years to meet the needs of our community, and donations from our community partners have helped bring new technology to support critically ill newborns and to connect families with their baby if they need to return home to work or to care for older siblings during the NICU stay.

So, there are lots of reasons for all of us to be hopeful as we look to the future for our NICU babies and their families and celebrate NICU Awareness Month together.