After having our son 6 weeks early and spending 10 days in the NICU, our eyes were opened to a world that we knew nothing about. Never in a million years during my pregnancy did I think that something would go wrong. I've always been a planner, planning the nursery, baby showers and making sure that everything was in place before our little one arrived. One day I went to the doctor for a simple ch
eck and didn't come home until 2 weeks later. Sure we had clothes and diapers awaiting in our nursery, but our son was born weighing 4.1lbs, not the average 6-8 lbs that newborn clothing and diapers fit. Luckily we had family around that could go to stores and try to find clothing and diapers to fit for when we were ready to bring him home (and let me tell you, preemie clothes are hard to find!). We were also very fortunate to get the last open hospital bed in pediatrics. The hospital didn't have space for all the families of babies in the NICU, they were offering nearby hotels for those who may not live nearby. When you're a mom trying to nurse your baby, especially one who's body isn't truly ready for milk yet, it often means feeding more frequently. We started at every two hours, logistically, even if you live 15 minutes away its nearly impossible to go home between feedings and there's not enough space in a NICU for every mom to be there 24-7. We also had to eat, either the hospital cafeteria which was almost as expensive as some stadium concessions or eating out at nearby restaurants. Three meals a day, even if you spend $10-15 per meal is $30-45 per day, times 10 days is $300-$450 for a stay. Tack on hotel costs if they don't have space, additional clothing and diapers, possibly needing a new car seat (not all are approved for lower weights), additional missed time off of work and looming hospital bills and you're quickly worrying more about money, than being able to focus entirely on your baby and getting them healthy enough to go home. Packages for Preemies wants to alleviate that stress. We want to provide families the opportunity to devote all of their time to worrying about their baby and not thinking about finances and logistics.
