Preemie Life Beyond the NICU: A Fighter Continues to Fight the Good Fight.

Preemies who survive the NICU grow up into adulthood. What is that like for them? Enter Christina Gagnon, a 25-week-old who was born in October 1986. Hear from her what life has been like up to now.

Older Preemies: How Their Fight Continues So Let's Do Better in the NICU.

Premature infants grow up and tell the survival in outcomes. From the heyday of neonatology, nurses have been instrumental in helping these babies survive and thrive enough to go home. Yet, families need coping mechanisms in dealing with the NICU trauma otherwise they will go home and treat their child as if everything is just fine. It isn't fine, and trauma, labels combine to create a hornet's nest of dysfunction in the family that ultimate erases that baby's long-term potential and affects them poorly for the rest of their lives. We need to do better.

NEC in Infancy Is NEC for Life.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in the NICU does not stay in the NICU. Infants are often discharged with little concern long term, yet that is not true. Meet Linseigh, a former NICU patient who was full-term at birth and was ultimately diagnosed with NEC. In this article, we talk to Linseigh about what it was like growing up with the residual effects of NEC and even how it affects her today. This is a must-read for every NICU nurse so that families can better understand the long-term effects and know what resources to turn to for assistance.

Love and Respect Are Key Languages in the NICU.

Parents very rarely walk into the NICU with a medical degree and it creates barriers between parents and professionals from the start. Add in the barriers of cultural, language and systemic racism and the gap grows wider, leaving the families in utter confusion and stress. Everyone deserves respect, which is so eloquently told by Jenny McCormick.

Neonatal Continuing Education That Powers Family-Centered Care Like Never Before.

Families in the NICU struggle on a daily basis and they are at high risk for mental health challenges ongoing due to the trauma inflicted at birth and during the NICU and beyond. Starting parents down a path of psychosocial support is key at bedside and can have a major impact on that infant and family's long-term outcomes. This is the most powerful family-centered care program in existence thanks to the collaboration of three well-respected organizations-National Perinatal Association, NICU Parent Network, and Patient + Family Care.

COVID-19 and the NICU: #Zeroseparation.

COVID-19's first wave created chaos for new NICU families as they struggled to cope with the challenge of a fragile infant along with a pandemic. Safety was paramount due to a lack of understanding around how the virus transmits, but much has been learned since then. The next wave of the virus needs to have a rethink around family separation. World leader organization European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI) provides insight into the challenges with the first wave and suggests ideas around rethinking how families interact with their baby in the subsequent waves.

Racism in the NICU: It Exists and It Needs to Stop.

NICUs around the United States seem like cloistered environments where only the best of professional intentions are exhibited. Yet implicit bias is real and it does exist in NICUs. In interviewing 3-time preemie mom Ashley Randolph, we dive in with great honesty about the fact that racism is lurking in ways that are not always as overt. We need to do better.

Talking to NICU Parents About Vaccination.

NICU parents are stressed, and adding vaccinations into the discussion can cause resistance. Their baby is already enduring pain with the various interventions keeping him alive, so a parent is likely to balk at the very mention of vaccinations. Enter Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, who works with parents all the time around this issue. I interviewed her about how to help "vaccine-hesitant" parents come around in complying with vaccinations while in the NICU.

Opiate Addiction and the NICU: A Mom's Story That Changes Stereotypes.

Opioid addiction and the NICU are common themes in the news. Yet, we never hear from the mothers in these situations. I interviewed Victoria, a Mom who had an addiction and had desperately wanted to be clean. She got pregnant and was desperate to help her baby not have the same affliction. Enter the ICON (Improving Care for the Opiate-exposed Newborn) program, which not only turned her life around but gave her son a chance at a normal life. The ICON program changes the stereotype of the addicted mother in the NICU for the better. We all have something to learn here.

A Preemie Outcome That Is Truly Inspiring.

An expected complex outcome of a premature infant need not be assumed completely life limiting. Take Erik Zimmerman, an adult born early 40+ years ago that did end up with cerebral palsy. Yet he chose the gifts that the diagnosis provides and proves many people wrong in terms of what he can and cannot do. The result is a wonderful interview with an inspiring individual and tips for neonatal nurses that will inform them in the NICU as they carry forward wisdom to new families facing the same challenges.

A NICU's Best Friend for the Holidays: Silvie Bells.

Families in the NICU during the holiday season are confronted with an even tougher isolation than normal. The group Silvie Bells has set out to provide much-needed smiles during that time in the form of very generous care packages and support.

Providing Equal Family-Centered Care in Every NICU.

Family-centered care is a constant buzzword in a NICU. However, there are consistent gaps in units across the country and beyond. Addressing this goes beyond a simple certification. That is where Sara Mosher, former NICU nurse, NICU manager, and NICU support specialist, steps in with an online course and community to support parents and ease the family-centered care strain on NICUs.

The Other Side of the Incubator: A Preemie Turns 40 Years Old.

Deb Discenza interviews Geoff, a preemie born almost 40 years ago, and gets unique insight into his birth, his NICU stay, and life afterward.

The Top Ten Things Parents Want to Hear From You in the NICU.

Connecting with a family is a huge challenge for nurses as they are more focused on the technical aspects of caring for the premature infant in the NICU. In this column, the top ten things parents want to hear from nurses in a variety of scenarios help to provide insight into the patient family mind-set and how to best work with them.

Real Awareness in the NICU and Through the Lifespan.

Awareness of prematurity goes well beyond the birth and the NICU stay. It is a life span matter, one that the neonatal field needs to re-think in terms of helping better the outcomes in babies. Deb Discenza tells the all-too-real scenario of her daughter's fate and how that is driving her passion of advocating for preemies and their families to a whole new level.

"Mental Health" in the NICU: Time to Catch Up and Provide Trauma-Informed Care for Families and Pros.

Mental health in the NICU has often been on the outer edge of neonatal care because of the focus being on the baby's health. Yet, with postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) skyrocketing in the NICU and being proven to affect developmental outcomes, it is time to change that. Evidence is provided in this interview with Cheryl Milford, EdS, a NICU psychologist.

Faith's Lodge: A Place of Peace for NICU Families in Grief or in Complex Health Situations.

Parents confronting the death of a child or working through the complex health needs of a child often feel isolated in their communities. They seek a personal connection with others who are going through similar emotions. Faith's Lodge is a unique respite for those families to find a place to reflect, find peace, and more.

Palliative Care in the NICU and Why Education Matters.

Palliative care in the NICU gets a bad rap to the point where it is not even clearly described to families. There is a strong need for education and dispelling the myths that surround this very important type of support.