RE: baby gifts for permie in icu
I have a friend who delivered twins at 24w. They are 9w old now and doing well, considering. Here are some suggestions that I received for gifts from other former NICU moms:
Preemie outfits (moms with babies in the NICU enjoy dressing them up when they can - make sure that the outfit snaps up, doesn't zip, for wires and tubes)
Blankets (hang over the isolette to give some privacy)
A book about preemies, to help mom and dad understand the medical jargon
Small stuffed animals (they can be used to guide wires and tubes around the baby)
Childrens' books to read to the baby, especially "classics" (my friend said that she felt like she was babbling all the time to the babies until she started to read to them)
They will spend a lot of time at the hospital for the next month or so - do they need any help with childcare (for older children) or errands, cooking, housecleaning, driving them to the hospital? I'm sure an offer to help would be greatly appreciated.
I think that it would be appropriate to give a gift now - after all, she did have a baby and that is cause for celebration, even if the baby didn't arrive as planned (I feel that the same goes for a baby with birth defects - I'd still give a gift to celebrate the new life). And at 28w, the baby has a 90-95% chance of surviving with no serious problems - although they do have a rough month or two ahead of them.
Oh, and my friend loved the clothes, handmade blankets and little toys I sent her!
If I remember any other gift suggestions, I'll come back and post them. Hope this helps!!
Lori
due 10/12 w/ #1
Single mom to
DS ("twice exceptional") - September 2002
DS - February 2006
DD - July 2009
DD - July 2009