Ideas for New Mom while at Hospital

teanamaree · March 2014

A friend of mine gave birth earlier this week very early and her baby is doing well in the NICU. She is fortunate enough to be at an awesome hospital that is allowing her to "room in" so long as the room is not needed. While visiting last night she commented that she is bored all day since she can only see/hold her baby twice a day. She passes the time in between watching TV and pumping milk. I wanted to make her a Activity Box with small crafts and crosswords etc in it but wanted to ask if anyone here can think of anything they might have enjoyed doing while spending time at the office or any ideas for some easy crafts that I can give her all the pieces to.

thanks in advance

JoJoGee · March 2014

When my daughter was in the NICU, I read books about preemies. It helped me to understand everything that was going on, helped me weigh the risks of certain interventions, and gave me a glimpse of what might be (and ultimately did) come down the line.

In subsequent hospitalizations (about 5 of them), Netflix has been our go-to activity. We hold up in the hospital room and binge watch our favorite shows.

I have heard other people swear by trash magazines or romance novels.

If your friend knits or crochets, you could get her the yarn and pattern to baby booties, or a baby cap, etc.

brachysira · March 2014

Perhaps you could find out if she would like to go shopping or have lunch with you. You might also suggest, if you can without bothering her (preemie moms may be kind of on edge), that she might be able to spend more time in the NICU than she thinks. At our NICU, you could be there anytime, and most NICUs seem to allow you in most of the time at least. You may not be able to hold your baby and it feels weird at first, but I found it interesting to listen to rounds, liked talking to my baby and holding her hand, thought about reading to her (which the parents next to me did to their LO, and I hoped my LO enjoyed it), and it was nice to chat with some of the other parents and nurses if they weren't busy. Anxiety was high and I just about the last thing I would have wanted to do would be knit or something, so you might just have to ask her. I've definitely seen puzzle books sitting around the NICU. We bought some preemie books, but they were terrifying. Having read them a year later, I think that it would have been nice to know the info, but then all we could focus on were worries about higher risks for autism and things like that and that wasn't helpful. I guess you'll have to be the judge of whether she would like such a thing. We had one that was very helpful about insurance things.

teanamaree · March 2014

thank you everyone, I am going to pick up some stuff today and go out to see her this evening.

JoJo Gee, can you recommend a good book on preemies that is not too terrifying?

I think I am going to grab some gossip magazines, maybe some baby craft magazines, some kids books (so she can read to her) a not so terrifying book on preemies, a journal, crossword/activity book, and some "craft" item from Michael's.

LucyRicardo3 · March 2014

I would also suggest some really nice ultra moisturizing/repair hand lotion (perhaps lightly scented or even un-scented/hypoalergenic).
The non-stop handwashing with their surgical scrub wash nearly killed my hands. They are still recovering and look like my grandma's hands in pictures.

JoJoGee · March 2014

I don't know what you would qualify as 'Terrifying.' Having a preemie is terrifying. But, I'm one of those people who cope by gathering as much information as I can. That way, by the time the S**T hits the fan, I have a firm grasp of where we are at, and where we are going.

The two books that I read, that I found particularly helpful were...

"The Preemie Primer" by Jennifer Gunter

Author is a doctor and preemie mother of 3 (triplets). One of who she lost at 20 weeks. This book is full of first hand accounts of struggle and triumph, as well as medical information. It helped me see that even if my child did end up developing complications from her prematurity (which she did), there was still joy to be had... immense joy.

"Preemies - Second Edition: The essential guide for parents with Premature Babies." by Dana Wechsler Linden

This is a textbook sized book all about preemies. But, it is set up in a way that you don't have to read it all. It's kind of a 'build your own story' type of book, where you only need to read the pages that pertain to your situation. This book is great because it breaks down the complicated medical jargon. It also lets you know the risks and benefits to most Preemie interventions. And, it gives you some idea of what to look out for in the future. So... at 9 months, when my daughter started to show she had a preferred side, I realized we might be headed toward a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis, and I got her diagnosed in a specialized therapy program before most children are diagnosed.

haziedaze · March 2014

teanamaree said:

thank you everyone, I am going to pick up some stuff today and go out to see her this evening.
JoJo Gee, can you recommend a good book on preemies that is not too terrifying?

I think I am going to grab some gossip magazines, maybe some baby craft magazines, some kids books (so she can read to her) a not so terrifying book on preemies, a journal, crossword/activity book, and some "craft" item from Michael's.

Just wanted to point out that having a book that provides info about preemies is a great idea. Your suggestion that it might be "terrifying" is kinda hard to read. These are the realities preemie moms face, our babies aren't just cute and little they are sick and face a lot of risks. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but had to point that out. If you're not sure that would be helpful to her you could give her a gift card to a book store, ibooks, or kindle store so she can buy a book of her choosing. Another idea is scrapbooking stuff. I wish I had done more of that and if she has a place to stay nearby that might be a fun distraction. I agree with others though... company and a listening ear/shoulder to cry on was the most helpful!

rkcaraway · March 2014

I agree with the Preemie-Secind addition book. It was in invaluable to us.

PhillyGal34 · March 2014

We had the preemie primer. We used it as a reference when we needed it. Yes parts were terrifying but we didn't read them if we didn't need to. Preemies can be terrifying and knowledge helps

LucyRicardo3 · March 2014

My NICU had several copies of the Preemies:Second Edition available to borrow, provided by the hospital's Parents with Preemies support group. I just found mine the other day while finally starting to sift through the blur- didn't realize DH had packed it in with our regular things.ooops ... It is a valuable reference, but not to be read cover to cover, but by the topic index in the back.

OH, I thought about 2 other things that were invaluable to me during my NICU visit routine:

1) Large insulated Mug for Ice water. Like-you'd-buy-at-a-truck-stop-huge. I've come to realize after talking with IRL friends that not all hospitals gift these to new moms anymore; Some just use disposable styrofoam water pitchers. So if she does not have one, maybe you come across one that is cute or can be personalized...

2)nursing/pumping cover. I cannot tell you how many times I would get interrupted by the neo or other specialty docs doing their rounds, a nurse adjusting his oxygen if he was needing help, therapists stopping in to check on my son's progress, or even housekeeping emptying the wastebasket.
This is quite the norm for a NICU; there is never much of a gap of time where someone isn't poking their heads in the bedside curtain. and then the curtain itself would swing open while I was tethered to the pump with no way of getting up to close it back quickly. So if it had not been for my cover, I would have flashed pretty much everyone, it seems.

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