The power behind your emotions right now is because of your love as a parent. While that makes it so much harder, it also makes it so worth it. Give yourself credit for being as strong as you are right now. Believe in yourself. You are doing your very best, and it is good enough. We will get through this pandemic, one day at a time. We hope the information provided by the bedside, on our website, in our weekly newsletter and on the Brigham Baby App will help guide you.

We are here to walk alongside you through this journey. Be well and take care of yourself.

PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS:

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

Happy Mother's Day to all the NICU mothers. Mother's Day can be an emotional holiday for preemie moms because premature birth brings with it so many unique challenges that motherhood itself may feel like a roller coaster ride. To read more click link below.

https://grahamsfoundation.org/premature-birth-support-mothers-day/

We are excited to share a special gift with all of you this weekend. Please accept this gift at your baby's bedside.

A *FEW CHANGES* have been made to our family presence policy for the NICU. Please know:

• masks should stay on at all times while you are in the NICU
• Once you leave the Unit, we ask you not to return until the following day.
• 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.

After you have your baby it is important to take care of yourself. Moms should rest, eat nutritious foods, and exercise. Although it is important to care for your baby, you also have to take care of yourself. This allows time to adapt and develop a new normal.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital defines Reiki as a relaxation technique, which involves a Reiki practitioner gently placing hands on a patient’s body, including the head, shoulders, arms, hands, knees, ankles, and feet. This light touch helps facilitate the body’s “relaxation response”. When the body is relaxed, it can more easily get in touch with its own natural ability to attain balance.

Our data, based on feedback from patients, family members, and staff members who received Reiki sessions, as well as outside research show that Reiki promotes relaxation, relieves stress and anxiety, reduces pain and fatigue, and improves overall quality of life.

• The Reiki Department continues to create short guided meditations on YouTube for you to use whenever you have even a brief moment for self-care. You can access these from your smart phone, iPad, laptop or other device connected to the internet. The shortest are 4-5 minutes and some newer ones are longer. The link below takes you to all the meditations – the library is growing.

YouTube Meditation Channel

https://hellopreemie.com/blog/how-to-help-an-older-sibling-survive-the-nicu-journey

Science experiment: Erupting fun with volcanoes

Fill a plastic cup two-thirds of the way with water. Add five tablespoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of dish soap, and drops of paint or food coloring (optional). Mix the materials together, put the cup on the ground and form a mound of dirt or sand around the cup to just below the rim. Now comes the fun! Add one cup of vinegar and watch the lava erupt down the side the mound. You can add vinegar a number of times until you need the base ingredients again.

Physical activity- Leap frog race

Do you have what it takes to leap like a frog? Crotch on the ground with your feet apart and your hands in front of you. Bend forward, tuck your head, and jump!

There are various ways to bond with your baby and develop an attachment.

https://www.everytinything.com/nicu-articles/attachment-parenting-and-bonding-in-the-nicu

VISITATION POLICY:

• Please enter the hospital through the Main Entrance at 75 Francis Street to complete a health screening

• One BANDED family member is allowed in a 24-hour period

• 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

• Once you leave the Unit, we ask you not to return until the following day.

• 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

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 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.

Mikhala Heil (617) 732-7480

mheil1@bwh.harvard.edu

Child Life Graduate Student

Child life is available to help you and your family understand and cope with the hospital stay of your baby in the NICU. Child life provides therapeutic activities, preparation, intervention and education. Child life promotes positive coping for siblings of NICU babies.

Ashlee Thomas (617) 431- 3238

athomas50@bwh.harvard.edu

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