For NICU Families
You didn't plan for this.
Nobody plans to spend the first weeks or months of their baby's life in a hospital. Nobody plans to learn what a pulse oximeter is, or to celebrate a weight gain measured in grams, or to drive home from the hospital every night without their baby.
And yet here you are. And you are doing it.
This page is for you.
There is no right way to do this.
There is no guidebook for NICU parenting. Some days you will feel strong. Some days you will cry in the parking garage before you can walk back in. Some days the beeping will feel like too much and you will need to step outside. All of that is allowed. All of it is normal.
You are doing enough. And you are not alone.
Join our community
The Little Lady Lucia community is a place for NICU families — current and graduate — to find each other, share their stories, and remind one another that they are not walking this road alone.
Things nobody told me.
A few things I wish someone had handed me on day one:
- It's okay to advocate loudly for your baby. You know them better than anyone in that room.
- Ask your social worker about Ronald McDonald House, parking passes, and meal programs. They exist and you likely qualify.
- The nurses are on your team. Build relationships with them — they will become some of your most important people.
- You are allowed to step outside. Getting air does not make you a bad parent. It makes you a human one.
- The NICU has a language. It's overwhelming at first. Ask every question, no matter how small.
- Your other relationships need tending too. Tell your village what you need, even when it's hard.
- Whatever today looks like — hold on. You are not walking this road alone.
Share your story.
Every NICU journey is different. Every baby is a miracle. If you want to share yours — we are here to listen, and your story might be exactly what another family needs to hear today.
We are here for you.
You are stronger than you know. However your journey unfolds, you are not alone in it.
— Kelcie, Lucy's mom