Helping NICU Families in the Hospital and Out

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is not where new parents envision their newborn spending the beginning of their lives. But parents can rest assured that, at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, their whole family is in the best of hands.

Our Level IV NICU, located at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, provides the highest level of intensive care, capable of providing exceptional, lifesaving care to the smallest and sickest babies. Not only that, the Children’s Hospital’s partnership with Today is a Good Day (TIAGD) ensures families in the NICU receive the support they need.

Founded in 2014 by a family who lived through the NICU journey, TIAGD is a program designed specifically for families in the NICU that provides a haven of emotional support and financial resources for families navigating the NICU.

“Today is a Good Day is a wonderful nonprofit founded by two parents who had NICU babies, and provides families in the NICU with the support they truly need,” says Jillian Intelisano, RN, a neonatal nurse in the Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital NICU. “Many of our families in the NICU have support systems outside of the hospital, which is great. However, unless they have experienced the NICU journey for themselves, these friends and family members can only sympathize with them, not empathize. Because the founders of Today is a Good Day have stood in these families’ shoes, this organization is able to provide the type of support it knows these families need.”

TIAGD’s vision is for a world where every family who experiences the NICU feels supported throughout their journey. This organization provides families with several resources, including:

Families admitted to the NICU with a premature or sick baby are overwhelmed with emotions, paperwork and difficult decisions. TIAGD’s care packages include tangible and meaningful items as well as personal stories from families who have experienced the NICU to remind them in an isolated-feeling situation that they are not alone.

“These care packages our NICU families receive are so thoughtfully crafted,” Intelisano says. “One thing that’s really special and important is that there is always a congratulations card in every bag. A lot of the babies we see in the NICU are born premature or sick, which means they are rushed to the NICU right away and the parents don’t get that time or opportunity to celebrate the birth. It’s a moment these families deserve because every baby deserves to be celebrated.”

Held monthly, a support group provides opportunities for parents currently navigating the NICU to share their journey, meet a NICU graduate and, most importantly, connect with others who understand their current experience.

“The meetings are very helpful for our families as experiencing the NICU can be very isolating,” Intelisano says. “What’s helpful about this support group is that it’s run by a parent who had a child in the NICU, so they understand these families’ situation from an ‘I’ve stood in your shoes perspective’ – and that really makes a difference.”

The financial need can be significant and stressful for families navigating the NICU journey. Financial grants cover costs including, but not limited to:

• Car seats
• Pack-n-plays
• Baby supplies
• Transportation to and from the hospital
• Meals
• Funeral expenses
• Utility bills
• Rent
• Additional items a family may need during their NICU journey