Providing Support to NICU Families

By Amy George

Imagine giving birth to a baby, only to have that baby immediately whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Up until this moment, you didn’t even know the NICU existed, and you certainly never dreamed your delivery would be anything but normal.

My twins, Melissa and Ann Catherine, were delivered 14 weeks early, and because it was an emergency c-section, I wasn’t even awake when they were born. My husband, Chris, met his daughters for the first time on an elevator as Dr. Zuzana Novak, one of the neonatologists in the NICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, was trying to explain to him what was going on. Melissa was in a special bed for premature infants, and another nurse was holding Ann Catherine, who was wrapped tightly in a blanket. He couldn’t even touch them.

It’s not the picture you paint in your mind when you first learn you are pregnant. But, unfortunately, it’s the reality for thousands and thousands of women every year. At Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children alone, more than 900 babies were admitted into the NICU in 2007.

Now that our NICU stay is over, I can honestly say that I love that unit. The care both of our daughters received was a big reason why Chris and I started the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. We wanted to raise money to help purchase equipment for the NICU, to help the precious babies who came after our daughters. But, when your baby is first admitted, the NICU can be downright scary.

The nurses in the NICU do a wonderful job of not only taking care of the babies, but taking care of mommy and daddy, too. I can’t count the times they offered me a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on during our NICU journey. Nevertheless, they are also incredibly busy. And many of them have never given birth to a premature child. A few months ago, it became obvious to me, and Huntsville Hospital Foundation president Candy Burnett, that we could do more to fill the void.

Our idea is to provide a support network for parents who are currently in NICU. When I delivered my daughters prematurely, I felt completely alone. My mother, sister and friends had never had a child in NICU. I felt as if no one understood how I was feeling. Finally, I began to receive letters from other moms who had delivered prematurely, but that was because I was a television news anchor at the time and my situation was very public. Other moms don’t have that support. And no one can provide it better than another mom or dad who has “been there.”

This network is still in the infancy stage, but I am so excited about it! We are creating a database of former NICU moms and dads, and we are going to match them with parents in the NICU who need emotional support. If a nurse sees that a particular mom or dad needs to talk with someone, she’ll pair them up with someone in our database who had a very similar situation. This support could be as simple as a phone call to let that parent know they are not alone. And it’s not just about prematurity. Full-term babies are admitted to our NICU with conditions such as Downs Syndrome, cleft palette and breathing issues. Those parents can reach out to parents who are going through the same thing.

We have other ideas we want to implement down the road. We want to start having informal coffees in the NICU waiting room, staffed by former NICU moms and dads. Parents who are visiting their babies can stop by, grab a cup of coffee and chat with one of our volunteers. This will give them a chance to talk to another mom or dad in an informal, non-threatening setting.

I think this group is going to do some wonderful things. Unless you have had a child in NICU, you can’t imagine how scary it can be at times. You can’t imagine the feelings of guilt that a mother experiences, the helplessness that a father feels and the worry you both feel over the health of your child. We know this group will make a difference!

If you’ve had a NICU experience and are interested in being involved, please contact me at 265.8077 or email me.

After a successful career as a news anchor at Channel 19, Amy George now works full time for the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. She and Christ are the proud parents of Ann Catherine (2) and Lily (1). Her passion is raising awareness about prematurity and the NICU at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children. You can find her blog here.