👋🏽 Meet Heather! @Heather at Hand to Hold is a Virtual Family Support Specialist, facilitating our virtual support group for NICU moms and supporting parents here in the Hand to Hold app. Heather lives in Illinois with her husband, Matt, and her two children. Her son was born unexpectedly early at 34 weeks and spent 21 days in the NICU. While she was lucky to have the support of her family, she had no one who could relate to her NICU experience on a personal level. In her second pregnancy she was put on strict bed rest and remembers being so scared at the idea of returning to the NICU. The night she told her husband she thought she’d be “okay” if their baby came, her water broke and her daughter was born at 36 weeks. No NICU stay was necessary. Both pregnancies, births, and postpartum were difficult in their own ways. Heather hopes that in providing peer support she can help other NICU parents feel grounded, validated, and cared for. 💚 Heather’s advice for NICU parents: "Have grace with yourself. Your experience is deeply personal and your feelings are valid. Find someone you can talk to and connect with. You are not alone. Find a way to practice self care and ground yourself. Finally, congratulations on all of the amazing things you’ve already done!" Connect with Heather in our Tuesday support group for current NICU moms or here in the Hand to Hold app!

Posted by Leigh Ann at Hand to Hold at 2024-05-20 18:08:34 UTC