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When my twins were born three months early, I grappled with overwhelming feelings of guilt and inadequacy as a mother. Their time in the NICU was fraught with medical challenges, often leaving me unable to bond with them in the ways I had envisioned. There were even stretches when I couldn’t hold them at all.
In the midst of relinquishing many of my maternal duties to medical professionals, I discovered that reading provided a unique avenue for connection. I would read to them before surgeries, at bedtime, and even during the heartbreaking moments leading up to the passing of my son, Noah, due to complications from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
Research supports what many of us already feel deeply: reading has neuroprotective effects on infants. When parents read to their babies, they enhance their child’s cognitive, language, and emotional development. It fosters a sense of closeness and security for both the parent and the baby—especially crucial for families navigating the NICU experience. Furthermore, when parents engage in reading, they may feel more empowered to be active participants in their baby’s care.
The advantages of reading extend beyond the infants; it also greatly benefits NICU parents. In such uncertain times, reading can create a semblance of normalcy and generate cherished memories. This is particularly true when the stories resonate with their current situation or when they choose books they loved during their own childhood.
After Noah’s passing, I sought ways to keep his memory alive. I recognized that reading had been a source of comfort for my twins during their NICU stay, and I wanted other families to experience that same bond. With the support of a wonderful community, we initiated a book donation program at our NICU, ensuring that each family could receive a new book every week while their baby was hospitalized.
Leading NICUs prioritize providing mothers with breast pumps and ensuring access to human milk for preemies; they should also ensure families have storybooks. Reading together is a cost-effective way to promote neuroprotective care, strengthen parent-infant bonding, and support families who feel overwhelmed and seek ways to nurture their infants. Storybooks should be regarded as vital tools within NICUs, offering immediate benefits to both babies and parents while encouraging a lifelong love of reading. By fostering a culture of reading, we can help families make it a daily habit.
Having a baby in the NICU can be transformative, and books can be essential for coping with the associated trauma. For our family, reading provided solace amidst the emotional strain of difficult diagnoses. In our final moments with Noah, we stamped his handprints into his favorite books, which we now share with his siblings, creating a lasting connection.
Ten Favorite Books for NICU Reading:
- Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You by Sarah Johnson
- You Are My I Love You by Amanda Lee
- The Little Engine That Could by Jamie Smith
- Goodnight Moon by Emily Davis
- All the World by Emily Grace
- On the Night You Were Born by Rachel Adams
- The I Love You Book by Sophie Brown
- You Are My Sunshine, illustrated by Claire James
- The Crown On Your Head by Alice Green
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, illustrated by Sarah Lee
To help NICUs get started, here are some suggestions: NICUs can partner with their hospital’s child life program, collaborate with family advisory councils, or connect with local bookstores. Community members can also be encouraged to donate new books, creating a nurturing environment through the power of reading.
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In summary, providing books to NICU families can be a simple yet profound way to support bonding and development during a challenging time. It serves as a tool for comfort, connection, and creating lasting memories.