What’s in our NICU blessing bag?
Many families who deliver preterm enter the hospital unexpectedly and have nothing but the shirt on their back. In a world of curated perfect birth plans and organized hospital bag checklists, I can officially confirm from personal experience that you can enter the hospital with absolutely nothing in hand and still deliver your baby.
When your child goes to the NICU, the checklist for your hospital bag & original expectations become a distant memory. I now listen quietly with many thoughts when I hear moms spout off their specific birth plans, exact induction dates penned in their calendars and frenzy about which Saturday morning works perfectly for their baby shower. There are some families who enter hospital doors having been “prepared” for a NICU stay due to findings through their pregnancy, but the themes of entering the unit are all so hard for different reasons, and we long for them to hear “we see you.”
You don’t know how long you will be there. You don’t know when you can go home.
A complete shift from their original plan.
They delivered before their baby shower date.
They didn’t get to pack a hospital bag.
They didn’t get to hold their child at delivery before he or she was whisked away.
It’s a humbling reminder for families who discover you can have nothing prepared or planned, yet God is completely in control of your baby’s entry to the world.
I think of the verse, “He is before all things and in him all things are held together.” Colossians 1:17 when I reflect on the details of these families that the Lord holds.
In our previous blog, we shared the story of how we began donating NICU Blessing Bags to hospitals nation-wide. This is our fourth year of donating these bags, and it has been such a gift to see how the Lord has led and is leading with this tangible way to love families. Today, I want to share with you the intentional purpose behind the items.
It is our way of “sitting with families” right at their baby’s bedside. Each year, we re-evaluate the items, but the mission stays the same! You will see that the items may seem super simple, but these items will truly make families days!
Though cosmetic items can be purchased in a hospital gift shop, usually the prices are skyrocketed and in my experience, they only accept debit cards, so it’s not an easy or inexpensive purchase process.
what’s in a bag:
A parent devotional book - A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. This book was incredibly encouraging to me in our NICU season because the truth and encouragement inside was like balm to my soul. One of the things I learned from the book is that one of the reasons a shepherd takes his flock to a valley is for the nutrition in the water sources found there - then eventually leading them to higher ground. We don’t know what these families’ current valley or higher ground looks like, but we pray they feel God near the whole way.
A baby book: Found: Psalm 23 by Sally Lloyd Jones. I found it therapeutic to read to our daughter in our room - despite the background dings and alarms reminding us where we were. I enjoyed making the memory of something “normal” within the hospital walls. Our prayer is that by reading this book, these families will hear the truth that “even in the dark, scary lonely places - my shepherd knows where I am.” I think about how all these preemie babies used to hear their mama’s voice in the womb, and now being read to is a way to continue sharing that comforting voice.
A letter that shares the gospel. This is a letter we have written every year, and our ultimate goal is for families to leave encouraged after reading it. For them to feel seen and not to feel alone. Our prayer is that they will see Christ as our Savior and hope in the midst of this broken world. We long to point them to the Lord for comfort as they have hurting hearts and walk through the unknown.
Phone wipes to clean germs off parent's phone & screen. The parent’s phone is the “lifeline” for communicating with family and connection to the outside world. It’s on loud at all times when you’re not with your babe in case the unit calls. It’s used for sharing updates, taking photos, writing down notes or questions for doctors, and all the other various forms of ways we use our phones for entertainment to pass the time. With the tiniest babies, parents have to “scrub in” before touching their baby to avoid the spread of germs. We hope the phone cleaning wipes help stop the spread of germs in a tiny way.
Gum & candy because ALL caregivers deserve a treat no matter what time of day.
Nourishing snacks because mealtime is very infrequent and eating is often on the go in the “in between” moments in the car, walking down the hall, waiting for doctors to round etc. Parents experiencing trauma need fuel for their bodies and are likely not taking care of themselves. We hope these granola bars and snacks help make it to their next meal.
Body Armor drinks to help fuel with electrolytes. A nursing/pumping mama needs the extra electrolytes to help her stay hydrated. I drank these nonstop, and these are a healthy alternative to the easily accessible soft drinks in the vending machines.
Oatmeal packet, a microwaveable bowl, and a plastic spoon. So simple but truly so helpful! Oatmeal is a great nourishing breakfast or snack for the pumping/nursing mama or tired parent. A microwaveable bowl and plastic spoon is not easily accessible, so our hope is to already have it in the bag to provide their snack time with ease.
Unscented hand lotion and chapstick. It is important for caregivers to avoid wearing anything scented to avoid irritating the baby's skin or interrupting the sterile environment. My hands were cracked and ridden with cuts from constantly scrubbing my hands. The non-scented hand lotion was so helpful for me daily!
Facewash & deodorant for the caregivers who have no time to shower, but a splash of warm water and soap on their face feels like a refreshing luxury. I actually got an eye infection from not being able to wash my makeup off one hospital night, so this is for the other mamas out there from my personal lesson learned
Prayer prints - We have two special prayers written by author Kayla Craig included for our caregivers to read through their stay. They beautifully put words to the emotions and layers of hospital time in the NICU
Kleenex because we know the tears. Mascara was a distant memory from the past for me.
A receiving blanket for the baby because it is much sweeter to see your baby with a cute swaddle. It’s amazing how homey a blanket from the “outside world” can feel while snuggling your preemie. Also, for the tiniest babies who can’t yet be held, it is precious for them to be able to lay on top a cute print instead of a hospital blanket day after day. It is a sweet distraction from the sterile environment and the nurses love the cuteness too!
A toothbrush & toothpaste for the caregivers who can’t remember if they’ve brushed their teeth this morning, that was me many days :). It’s also a gift for families who have unexpectedly been thrown into the hospital and are now spending the night with nothing but the shirt on their back.
At the end of our letter, we leave a phone number. Over the years, we’ve heard from countless caregivers responding about the gift bag. Many messages detailed reading our letter in tears and thanks for the encouragement in the midst of a very hard road.
One mama said, “Some days are harder than others. Thank you for giving your token of understanding love in this care package. It was really kind and thoughtful. I don’t know you, but I love you for obeying God and blessing others as you have. May God keep blessing you and your family.”
It’s messages like this that encourage us to do what we do. A bag with a mission.
We see this as our “yes” to one way of loving our Neighbor in the NICU.”
Modeling Jesus’ love means sitting with the hurting and feeding the hungry. Through our blessing bags, we long to meet families’ practical needs and ultimately, point these hurting families to Christ.
