As a 2022 Ambassador for Project NICU, I'm committed to raising $500 to help support their mission to support families with children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the medical professionals who care for them.

Riley came into this world at just 29 weeks, nearly three months ahead of schedule. He weighed just 1lb, 14oz at birth.

Our path to his birthday was a bumpy one as well. I spent 29 days in antepartum (the sick mommy ward) due to a combination of pregnancy complications which resulted in Riley facing significant growth restriction. Due to his size and prematurity, he was quite fragile and had severely underdeveloped lungs.

Days in the NICU are long, overstimulating, and emotionally draining. When you're facing a roller coaster of ups and downs, you don't have a lot of extra space to let friends or family in, and it's hard to connect with others who haven't lived in the foreign world.

Many NICU families also face trauma. Spending days, weeks, or months not knowing if your baby will survive changes a person. This trauma has far-reaching impact. NICU parents, siblings, grandparents, and even extended family members often struggle to process the experience for years to come.

Freshly postpartum moms sometimes aren't able to hold their babies for days or weeks at a time. These moms and dads also have to leave their baby or babies at the hospital when they get discharged. Dads are often tasked with keeping the household running throughout a long NICU stay. Siblings are confused about why their new brother or sister can't come home and are scared that they're sick.

About Project NICU
One of the things I really love about Project NICU is they're dedicated to supporting the whole family. The organization gives moms, dads, and even grandparents of NICU babies a safe place to land. The organization hosts online support groups every work, provides access to mental health care (something most hospitals don't do but absolutely should), distributes care packages across the country, pairs former NICU parents with current NICU parents to serve as mentors, and most importantly-makes sure families know that they are not alone in this journey.

Why I Support Project NICU
As a former NICU mom and now a Project NICU ambassador, supporting this organization helps me turn what was a very difficult, hard time in my life into a silver lining by making life a little easier for current NICU families. I spend time volunteering in honor of Riley and his tenacious spirit. He's almost five now, and he's truly an inspiration to me. Beyond our story, there's a whole army of NICU moms and dads behind this effort; each one of us is passionate about making things better.

Please Consider Donating
Whether you donate in honor of Riley's journey, in honor of someone else you know who had a NICU stay, or just because you want to give to a nonprofit that is doing amazing things in this world, I hope you'll consider Project NICU. Your support truly means the absolute world to me.

Project NICU offers connection, support and community to all involved in the NICU Journey. From NICU Care Packages, Peer Support, Graduate Programming, events and more we are here for every step of the journey. Led by NICU Parents, our programs are designed with first hand experience with support by NICU medical professionals on our advisory board to truly create an environment where families and NICU Teams can feel supported.

Help Me Help NICU Families

By Project NICU

Help Me Help NICU Families