Explore Resources to Aid Your NICU Patients’ Families
NICU Family Guide
Navigating the NICU can be difficult for any parent, whether it’s their first time or they’ve been down this road before. Each NICU stay is a different experience, depending on the baby’s condition.
To help ease anxiety and orient your patient’s family to the NICU, we have created a resource designed to demystify the NICU by explaining what it may look like, who the NICU care team is, and more. It also provides a list of questions parents or caregivers may ask you so you can help them feel more involved with their baby’s care.
Share the following link with patient families:
English https://nicuconnections.com/guide
Spanish https://nicuconnections.com/guia
The RDS Children’s Book
An often-overlooked member of the NICU family is the older brother or sister of the newborn, who’s excited to meet their new sibling and doesn’t understand why they have to stay in the hospital…and why Mom and Dad are spending so much time at the NICU.
Understanding Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) is a children’s book for your patients’ families and caregivers that helps explain RDS and the NICU experience in an effort to ease the anxiety and worry of siblings like Asher, who is the main character in the story.
Share the following link with patient families:
English https://nicuconnections.com/book
Spanish https://nicuconnections.com/libro
The Superhero Project
At Chiesi, we are driven to support and connect patients, families, and caregivers during their time at the NICU. We are proudly sponsoring The Superhero Project, whose mission is to improve the experience of families with infants being treated in the NICU.
The Superhero Project works to assist families with babies in the NICU. They strive to bridge the gap between home and the hospital for families by donating care packages, assisting with financial grants, providing 24/7 access to cameras and voice recorders that allow parents to connect remotely with their babies, and more.
Programs Offered by The Superhero Project*
AngelEye CameraSystem™:
The AngelEye CameraSystem™† includes a camera and one-way speaker that is placed at the baby’s bedside while hospitalized in the NICU to allow families to see their newest member via livestream when they are unable to be there in person.
Kelly’s Kloset:
Kelly’s Kloset is one step in bridging the gap between home and hospital, one closet at a time. This closet is a space where NICU parents can go to select something special, and most importantly call their own, when taking care of their baby. You may find special blankets, clothing, and accessories here.
Lullabies of Love:
Lullabies of Love is a program that provides books for the NICU library and a digital voice recorder at each bed for mom and dad to record themselves reading books, singing lullabies, or talking to their baby.
PJs with a Smile:
Every day, thousands of women are discharged from the NICU without their babies.The PJs with a Smile campaign seeks to provide NICU mothers with a brand-new set of pajamas, a letter of encouragement from a former NICU mom, and a fresh flower on their day of discharge.
Wrapped in Love:
For all women who have a superhero gain wings over a cape, The Superhero Project, Inc. provides a warm, comfortable robe for any moment they wish to be wrapped in a hug and feel their child’s spirit. Notecards from moms who have gone through the same experience are also provided to let these moms know that they are not alone and are supported by women who have walked in their shoes and come through this extremely difficult journey.
Gas cards and parking vouchers:
For families residing in the NICU for an extended time period, gas cards and parking vouchers are available for hospitals to request to offset commuting costs to and from the hospital.
*These programs are offered by The Superhero Project but are only available at select hospitals.
†The AngelEye CameraSystem is one of many camera systems offered by NICUs. The Superhero Project only works with the AngelEye CameraSystem at this time. In addition, it is important to note that not all hospitals have this service available.
1. Understanding RDS. (n.d.). Understanding RDS.
2. Corporate Partners | The Superhero Project. (n.d.). Superhero Project Inc.
