We hope you continue to find the resources and information shared throughout the unit, on our website, in our newsletter and on the Brigham Baby App to be helpful over the course of your NICU admission here at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Never hesitate to ask questions, share fears or celebrate victories with each member of your baby's care team.

We thank you for your partnership in being mindful of social distancing, wearing a mask when out in public and performing good hand hygiene with soap and water or hand sanitizer in order to keep our unit safe for our patients, families and staff.

Keep your head up, you're doing a wonderful job.

NICU Dads, this week we celebrate you! We thank you for your presence on the unit, showing your care, love, strength and devotion to your baby, your partner and your family.

Please accept a small gift by the bedside, made possible by Project Sweet Peas - Southern New England and the Friends of the Brigham NICU.

Happy Father's Day!

• Take a moment to find a comfortable posture; you can stand, sit, or lie down. When you feel comfortable, allow your eyes to close.
• Imagine yourself in a beautiful place—perhaps the beach, a wide open field, or somewhere in the mountains. Maybe this is a place you know, or one that exists in a movie or book, or one that exists in your imagination.
• Looking up, you can see a wide blue sky, with just a few puffy white clouds drifting past.
• Notice thoughts going past in your mind. As you notice each thought, see if you can visualize it shrinking, and then place it on a passing cloud as it oats by.
• You might notice that some clouds get stuck or move slowly, others sail by more quickly on the air currents, and some change their shape or size. But all of them eventually pass and drift away in the sky. If they get stuck, you can even try breathing out to gently push the clouds onward.
• Take time to just notice your thoughts and feelings, placing them on a cloud and letting them drift away on your breath.
• You may find yourself caught in the clouds from time to time, floating with the thoughts, caught up in the clouds themselves. If this happens, just notice which thought pulled you in, bring yourself back to that beautiful place with the view, breathe the clouds away, and return to watching again.
• Take time to watch your thoughts and feelings, big and small, happy and sad, as they rest on the clouds and eventually oat away.
• As you finish, remember that all your thoughts and feelings will eventually pass. Allow your eyes to open.

This practice was adapted from Dr. Christopher Willard’s book Growing Up Mindful.

FAMILY PRESENCE POLICY:

• Please enter and exit the hospital through the lobby at 45 Francis Street to complete a health screening

• Both BANDED caregivers may visit on the same day and at the same time

• All visitors are to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times while in the unit

• Green visitor sticker and parent band should be worn at all times

• Visitor should remain in the baby’s room throughout the visit

• A family eating area has been set up in the lobby, near the Unit Coordinator desk. Please enjoy your food in this designated area only, not by the bedside. A refrigerator and microwave can be found here as well.

GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BABY: Parents are encouraged to call at any time for information about their baby. When calling please ask to speak to the nurse caring for your baby, giving your baby’s first and last name. The unit coordinator will transfer your call directly to your nurse. If the nurse is busy caring for your baby and is not able to answer, you may need to try back again in a bit.

DISCOUNTED PARKING: Discounted parking is available for NICU parents (cost $5.00) in the garage at 80 OR 45 Francis Street. Please stop at the front desk and speak to the unit coordinators for the pink validation card.

HAND HYGIENE: Practicing good hand hygiene is an important part of your baby’s care. Please wash your hands with soap and water at the sink in the waiting area or in your baby’s room at the start of your visit; use hand sanitizer each time you enter your baby’s room and again every time prior to touching your baby. Remember to use hand sanitizer again after you touch door handles, personal or NICU objects, other persons or yourself. Please wipe your cell phone off with the sanitizing wipes prior to use.

Our Social Service team is currently staffed remotely. We remain available by phone and email during business hours to provide emotional support, information and resources to help you care for your baby during your NICU admission and help plan for when baby comes home.

Social Work

In addition to providing support and counseling, our social workers can assist families with tasks such as health insurance registration, finding a pediatrician, or locating community resources.

Alicia Katz (617) 525-8320

akatz22@partners.org

Susan Berliner, LICSW (617) 732-8403

Tuesday-Friday

sberliner@bwh.harvard.edu

Marysabel Gomez, LPC (617) 732-5419

mgomez15@bwh.harvard.edu

Family Support

Our Family Support Program is staffed by former NICU mothers. Working closely with the medical team, they help parents navigate the many emotional twists and turns that accompany the NICU journey.

Maria Conley (617) 525-8682

msconley@bwh.harvard.edu

Maria Raskind (617) 525-8682

mraskind@bwh.harvard.edu

Care Coordination

Care coordinators are nurses who complete intake assessments upon admission and can assist families in preparing for the transition home or to a specialty care nursery closer to home.

Spiritual Care

The Spiritual Care Services Department provides compassionate emotional, spiritual, and religious support as resources for healing.

(617) 732-7480

Please reference previously published newsletters for additional information and resources.

• week of April 6th - https://www.smore.com/q15vz
• week of April 13th - https://www.smore.com/1z26w
• week of April 20th - https://www.smore.com/6fhmq
• week of April 27th- https://www.smore.com/jn157
• week of May 4th - https://www.smore.com/qz69c
• week of May 18th - https://www.smore.com/u2vgn
• week of May 25th - https://www.smore.com/39u7q
• week of June 1st - https://www.smore.com/0uc1y

Website: https://www.brighamandwomens.org/
Location: 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, USA
Phone: (617)732-5420
Facebook: facebook.com/BrighamandWomensHospital
Twitter: @BrighamWomens