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Every year, between 10 and 15 percent of babies have to go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) before going home. I'm a mom of three, and two of my babies had NICU stays. One of my sons was born with a genetic condition and a heart defect; the other was born with posterior urethral valves, and the days inside the NICU were some of the longest of my life.
NICU staff members are incredible, and if there's a silver lining to being a NICU parent, it's that you're witnessing miracles happen every single day. However, days inside the NICU can be emotional, scary, stressful, and boring. Not to mention, the NICU can be an incredibly uncomfortable place to be. Families are normally assigned one chair in a cramped space where beeping alarms are part of an ever-present soundtrack. Friends and family want to help, but often don't know how. With two NICU stays under my parenting belt, here are the gifts my husband and I appreciated the most.