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WHAT WE DO
In 2008, a family friend desperately looking to help a NICU family in need, made one simple delivery that would spark years of giving. She gave a stressed and over worked mom a small crate of food and personal items to keep with her in her car; sustaining her as she spent countless hours travelling back and forth from the NICU. In 2010, that mother started Preemie Mommies -- a support group and cheer squad for moms and dads living the NICU experience. The organization's primary goal was based on a simple principle: Meet mommy's needs so that she can best meet the needs of her pre-term baby. We provide gift baskets to new preemie moms, filled with essentials to tackle the job of being a NICU parent. A touch of kindness coupled with a social network of moms who share and understand the preemie experience make us PROUD PREEMIE MOMMIES! |
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FOUNDER'S STORY
Meet The Rices: Eurro, John, and Little John (LJ)
Meet The Rices: Eurro, John, and Little John (LJ)
Our son was born exactly three months early. At 26 weeks and only two pounds, he would spend the first five months of his life hooked up to various tubes and life supporting machines in the NICU. Time has darted by, but it seems like just yesterday when his tiny heart stopped beating and nurses and doctors rushed in, rhythmically working to bring him back to life. We met many wonderful parents and witnessed the heartbreaking loss of tiny angels called back home. And let us not forget t the long list of medications...13 to be exact...and I knew them all by name and dosage. We recall the joy as he moved from one nursery to another; then finally off to a private room, allowing us to be there during the night. Summer turned into late fall. His expected birthdate had come and gone, yet in the NICU we remained. We were forever encouraging and awaiting the day he could finish that tiny, tiny bottle of milk...milk that was now is short supply. He was eventually released, but only to be admitted to a facility that would train us on how to deal with his special needs. We were no longer hoping, but now coping with feeding tubes and oxygen tanks; learning all the nursing skills necessary to keep him alive and healthy.
The life of a NICU parent is not easy. And it wasn't until 18 months after our son came home that I realized the magnitude of what I'd been through. I was invited to a March of Dimes event at a museum which hightlighted the stories several of NICU families via still photography. Each passing picture, brought me face-to-face with what was once my arduous reality until I finally rested on a photo of a tiny tombstone and what used to be a tragic possibility...I could have lost my son. Like many moms, I'd been going through the routine of doing what you have to do to take care of your child and family. I never once stopped to breathe it all in until a simple photograph came and knocked the wind out of me. It was at that point that I knew this was one of those "forever" experiences -- one that you never forget, one shared by so many. It is the PREEMIE EXPERIENCE, and it is unique to each of us who dare to care for a child born too soon.