Friend - Saint Michael,MN

Can you prepare food for her when she gets home? That will really help because she'll be weak herself, and will also have to take care of baby. Maybe you could get more help to come in for a few weeks - someone to wash clothes, vacuum, wash dishes, general tidying, that kind of thing.

So sorry about her - hope she recovers soon.

Dawn

Well, something similar happend to me, and I could not go near my baby. What cheered me up the most was pictures of my little girl. Even if couldn't be with her I could still see her.

Other than that books were a life saver, becuase without my baby I did not have a lot to do while I got over my fever.

I am sure anything you do will be appreciated! Bless you for even thinking of it!

Make arrangements for someone to take plenty of pictures/video of the baby throughout the day (I'm sure dad will take plenty but extras wouldn't hurt). Perhaps ask an approved family member who is allowed to enter the NICU or a nurse.

Make it all about the baby. Make a baby wreath to hang on her hospital door with tons of balloons. I've seen wreaths with a baseball mitt in the middle for a boy, and ballet slippers for a girl. Buy a newspaper on the day the baby was born. Get a little baby record book and record the baby's progress - they usually have places to fill like daily weight, how much the baby ate, how much the baby slept. Also, take down the names of the nurses each day who take care of the baby and even take a picture of them. Your friend may appreciate knowing the people who are taking care of her precious LO each day.

Make up a nice sign for a nameplate for the baby's isolette (the incubator looking thing) and bring small toys and animals to place around it (you probably won't be able to put anything inside the isolette for contamination issues).

Buy her a package of preemie diapers. Some NICUs don't supply them.

I hope she will be ok.

Awww you're very sweet. I was just talking to a friend whose child was hospitalized for several weeks and she mentioned how expensive it was to do meals and pay for parking at the hospital every day. Even if her baby is in the NICU and she can't hold her right now I would imagine that she plans on being there as much as possible during the day. I know that giving money doesn't seem terribly personal, but for friends and family in similar circumstances, I know that they appreciated having help with that expense. If the baby is at a hospital with paid parking, maybe you could find out what the daily rate is an pay for however many days you can afford to.

If she has other children at home, then I bet that rides and childcare and meals for them would be appreciated.

If she doesn't have other children at home and is probably spending some meal times at the hospital, then gift cards to restaurants near the hospital would probably be welcome.

Re-reading your question I realized that I assume that the baby has the infection and not the mother, right? Best of luck to your friend and her baby!

Is your friend staying at the hospital? Is she home? Does she have other children?
Would she appreciate a private massage done in her home? That seems to be a step above a fruit basket.

When my grandson was born, he was in NICU and my daughter was in CVICU for a WEEK! No crossing over. She saw him as they lifted him out during the c-section and they whisked him off. 3 pounds, 5 oz. So not dangerously preemie, but still in NICU.

I took pictures every day, sent them to Walgreens and had prints made. Much better than digital on a screen.

Maybe you can frame a few pics for her to keep in her room.

Take some cute pictures and print them out and some little videos of her baby so she can watch them.

B.:

I'm soo sorry!! i know what your friend is going through.

I would bring food for her and her family. That's what people did for us.

One of my trusted friends came to the hospital and took pictures of my son for us.

Good luck to them!!! I know it's a hard time!!!

Ss I made a cute baby blanket for a friends and her baby had the blanket on top of the isolet (sp). I also made one for my nephew but he was in an open incubator so my sil used it while sitting in his room, he passed and that is in his memory box along with a few stuffed animals that were in his room. I know your friend is in the hospital and being fed, but I also gave friend and sil/brother baskets of snacks. And gifts cards to the cafe and coffee shops there in the hospitals. Puzzle books, magazines to pass the time were also appreciated. I second the pictures as well.