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Six ways to shift from medical victim to health advocate

September 22, 2014 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

No mom-to-be, including me, sees a positive pregnancy test and thinks they will be hospitalized during that pregnancy and deliver a premature baby. Until they do. The same is probably true for most serious health complications. They occur at random and at some point in your life, you or a loved one will experience at least one. I hope your health scare ends the way mine did, with a healthy patient who is a better person because of (not despite) their hospital stay. When you are faced with a life-threatening illness, it is easy to allow yourself to enter victim mode and slowly move through the 5 stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). I want you to skip stages 1 to 4 and move straight to acceptance. Here are six ways to shift from medical victim to health advocate:

1. Stay Positive. If you are a High Risk Hope family, you know this is our #1 rule. We want our moms and dads to take a moment to allow themselves to cry, get angry and ask “why me”, but only one moment. After your short-lived pity party, make the choice to be positive and optimistic about your prognosis (no matter how bad the medical reports may be). A positive attitude is crucial during this difficult time and will make a difference in your hospital stay and daily interactions with friends, family, doctors, nurses and hospital staff. The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude, and sometimes the only thing you can control is your attitude. Make the choice every day to focus on the positives, remain optimistic and show gratitude to others for the support they give you during your hospital stay or medical treatment. During my hospital stay my husband wrote daily inspirational quotes on our dry erase board so I could have a visual reminder and attitude check throughout the day. Some days I had to fake it until I could make it, but I had more positive days than negative ones. That mindset had a big impact on my health, and ultimately my unborn baby’s health too.

2. Find a support group. Whether virtual or in person, a support group geared towards your medical condition will become your lifeline. From doctor recommendations to managing relationship strains to dealing with the every day trials, these new friends have been there and can offer support and helpful advice. I relied heavily on the preterm premature rupture of membranes (pProm) Facebook support group during my 8 weeks on hospital bed rest and my son’s neonatal intensive care unit stay. The women knew exactly what I was experiencing because they had been there. Not only did they provide advice on things like how to remain comfortable when you leak amniotic fluid all day, they also showed me photos of their healthy pProm babies which helped me remain calm and focused on my prize (a healthy baby boy). At HRH, we take patient support seriously and know our former HRH moms can help current families. HRH moms spearheaded a campaign to form our brand new HRH chatrooms that we hope will grow to support many future patients in crisis.

3. The A-Team. If possible, be treated by the best doctors your insurance company allows. Solicit recommendations from your support group and other friends who have had a similar medical condition. Build your team with doctors who not only have a stellar medical record but also have an incredible bedside manner. It is most important to remember you are captain of the A-Team, and will always make the best health related decisions on your behalf. I was surprised at how much the doctors didn’t know about my condition. Not because they weren’t excellent doctors, but because there are a lot of unknowns with pProm and every case is unique, as is true for most other medical conditions. I learned early on that half of my doctors had never been pregnant (men) and none of them had been on hospital bed rest with a life threatening pregnancy complication. They could not relate to what I was going through, which meant there were some questions the doctors would not know the answer to. I filled that gap with targeted questions and research on my condition. I was empowered with the information I needed to steer my medical team towards the best treatment plan for my family.

4. Get a 2^nd opinion. And 3^rd and 4^th if that is what it takes for you to be completely comfortable with the diagnosis and treatment plan. Even members of your A-team make mistakes but you mitigate that risk by seeking multiple opinions. If you seek multiple opinions, do so quickly and do not use it as an excuse to delay treatment. During my stay, I had the luxury of daily hospital visits from one of the doctors within my OBGYN group. I loved that one-on-one time and used every minute to get to know my doctors. I had a list of questions at all times and consistently asked several doctors the same questions, writing down their answers to ensure I could relay the responses accurately to my husband. They met weekly to discuss hospital patients so they caught on to me quickly, but each doctor always gave me what they thought was the best answer, and the responses varied from doctor to doctor. Rather than become overwhelmed, I was able to utilize the resource of 59 doctor visits to ensure all of my medical questions and concerns were addressed in a manner I was comfortable with. If the need for urgent medical care arrived, even at 3 a.m., I was always fully prepared to make the best medical decision on my (and my baby’s) behalf.

5. Pay it forward. When you are home, healthy and on the other side of your crisis, pay it forward by supporting others facing your same medical condition. There are many ways this can be done and no one way is right for everyone. From donating money to or volunteering for a cause that supported you, to joining your old support group as an advisor, you can find a way to help that fits your comfort level. Just as you relied on strangers to help you, now it is your turn to give the gift that was given to you. For our HRH families looking to give back and stay connected with our outreach, the best way is to register to attend the HRH Tot Trot on 11/15 at Gadsden Park n Tampa.

6. Be prepared for the future. I had another big health scare in 2012 when my favorite OBGYN found a 2-inch tumor on my thyroid, one that my former general practitioner had missed for years. Not only had my A-team paid off again (OBGYNs are typically focused on another area) but our family was fully prepared for this health challenge. I had the tumor biopsied within the week and reached out to a friend who had once had a thyroid tumor similar to mine. I was scared and worried but she took me to lunch and reassured me I was going to be fine. Although the tumor was large, thankfully it was non-cancerous. Unfortunately my entire thyroid still needed to come out, because the tumor completely covered it, and cells can become cancerous over time. After confirming that plan of action with two Endocrinologists, I went to the best ENT surgeon in Tampa and had a full thyroidectomy within the month. Now my friend and I have matching scars and I have reached out to two friends since then who also had to have a complete thyroidectomy (pay it forward). Your thyroid produces hormones which regulate the body’s metabolic rate, heart and digestive function, muscle control, brain development and bone maintenance. So since I no longer have one, I have to rely on a daily synthetic thyroid hormone for the rest of my life, which I will also spend free of thyroid cancer. My past hospitalization enabled me to minimize my fear and anxiety and face this cancer scare and major surgery with determination to make a swift and informed decision.

My family’s three-month stay in the hospital turned us from health victims into advocates. We advocated for our son throughout his stay in the NICU and still do so in both of our children’s daily lives. With any future health challenges, my husband and I will seek treatment and advice from the best doctors. We will use that advice to make the final decision for what is best for our family’s health, and you will too for your family.

Find the humor in your hospital stay

September 15, 2014 By High Risk Hope

By Bennett Barrow

A high-risk pregnancy simply garners more medical attention than a normal pregnancy. So every dad (or soon to be dad) whose wife is placed on hospital bed rest is accustomed to the plethora of nurses, janitors, and doctors constantly checking on your loved one. With all of the daily interactions, your caretakers are bound to make minor mistakes. If you are able to find the humor in your hospital stay, you may bring a little joy to your crisis.

We were only a few days into our two – month stay on the third floor, high risk unit at an incredible hospital in Tampa and Heather was in the middle of a pedicure from Grammy when the door opened once again. However, these two bodies at our door were actually decked out in hazmat suits. This full body protective gear is normally seen only in movies about nuclear bombs and Ebola Virus news reports from Africa. To our dismay, the two proceeded to enter our room.

Fortunately, we heard the voice of our favorite nurse behind one of these alien suits. She proceeded to tell us that my wife tested positive for MERSA, which is a nasty staph infection that runs rampant in hospitals. Questions popped into my head such as: How much worse can this possibly get? Is my unborn baby okay since my wife’s water broke and is susceptible to infections? And why is God punishing us? The good news is that our MERSA scare turned out to be short-lived as there was a mix up of lab results. The bad news is that one of my hallway coffee pot neighbors was about to experience the bad MERSA news.

We quickly learned that every day and night is a true roller coaster. A curve ball was thrown our way seemingly every week. When my wife reached 28 weeks pregnant (one month into our stay) we had a code pink alert. The exercise is planned by the hospital security team to test crisis preparedness. Often nurses and staff are not told about the upcoming drill. So nurses sprint down hallways, entries and exits are in lock down mode, and a massive security presence rattles nearly every patient in the hospital.

In this case, somebody acted as an abductor of a baby who tried to escape outside of the hospital with a baby mannequin. The staff and security caught the“abductor” and everything was back to normal in no time. More questions popped up such as: Why does this whole experience keep getting stranger and stranger? Can we just have a couple of days of peace and quiet? After that first code-pink, we actually looked forward to them as it shook up the day.

Unfortunately, the oddball events don’t end when your preemie has left the hospital. Our daughter came down with the swine flu not long after our son left the NICU and. Even though we had adapted to the curveballs in the hospital, we still couldn’t help but ask ourselves questions such as “Again?” and “Seriously?” Simply accepting not only the day- to -day stress but also the strange events that accompany a high risk pregnancy is the best antidote to the anxiety ridden experience. As they say, sometimes time heals what reason cannot.

Emerge from a health crisis with a rock solid marriage

September 10, 2014 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

I married the man of my dreams in 2005. Bennett was kind, intelligent, funny, generous and handsome. I knew he would be a great husband and incredible father to our future children. Our wedding day was filled with joy and I did not envision anything but happy, easy times ahead. The first major trial to our marriage was in 2009 when I was pregnant with my second child. I was placed on complete hospital bed rest for 8 weeks, followed by a 2-week stay for my son Hill in the neonatal intensive care unit. When you are in the middle of a health crisis, it doesn’t occur to you that your marriage could also be at risk. During this time of extreme stress and anxiety for my husband Bennett and I, our three-year marriage was put to the test on a daily basis.

I was admitted to the hospital because my water had broken at 24 weeks and I was unable to get out of bed to do anything, which meant everything I did during the day would now happen in a hospital bed. When I struggled to digest the reality that I would not be getting out of bed for several months, Bennett when right to work. He showed me I could depend on him for anything, from bringing me my toothbrush to changing my bedpans. Bennett did everything in his power to ensure my needs were met so I could focus on our unborn baby, and it worked. Our five-year-old son is now healthy and strong and so is our marriage. Bennett and I emerged from a health crisis with a rock solid marriage and this is how we did it:

1. Put our marriage first. If you are the one who is sick, you may be tempted to pour all of your energy into your health crisis, neglecting your spouse and marriage. While in the hospital, the dynamics of our marriage changed. People constantly surround us, and my prognosis meant that I couldn’t even stand up to hug or kiss Bennett for two months. We both needed to be comforted so we found ways to stay close. We held hands when the doctors gave negative reports and watched TV at night squeezed into my hospital bed. Sustained distance can be devastating to a marriage, so find new ways to stay connected.

2. Be thankful. Bennett could have justifiably used one of many excuses not to spend each night with me in the hospital. We had a two-year-old daughter at home, the hospital was noisy, he had to work, he was exhausted, nurses came in throughout the night and the couch was small and uncomfortable. He stayed every single night and never complained once, because he knew I needed him there and that was enough. I was thankful then for the daily benefit of actually being able to get some sleep with him there, knowing he would be there if we had a 3 a.m. emergency delivery. I am thankful now for the long-term gift of a healthy baby boy. I am grateful for all he did for our family, and he knows it.

3. Recognize the caretaker is in crisis too. Bennett was not the one in the hospital bed but experienced all of the fears, stress and anxiety I did with one exception. He had to juggle everything going on at the hospital with caring for our daughter at home and still show up at 9 a.m. to work. Bennett couldn’t be two places at once and whether he was at the hospital or home, he knew that the person at the other place really needed him. I tried to emotionally support him and ask him how he was doing, even on my bad days, knowing that he may need to talk to someone without being labeled a complainer.

4. Seek counseling. Bennett and I had a difficult time coming to terms with our ordeal after Hill was discharged from the hospital. Some days we still do. Life gets busy and we never saw a marriage counselor, or talked to our pastor. I often regret not seeking help because I think it could have helped with the post-traumatic stress we both experienced from our stay. We dealt with it in other ways on our own, most notably forming High Risk Hope. A professional would have told us the lingering health anxiety was normal and given us ways to cope.

Bennett and I look back on that time now and remember it as a blessing for our family. Not everyone is lucky enough to be put in a situation that forces you to be thankful for every person in your life. Not every new marriage is put to through the ringer. We don’t take each other or our children for granted and have a family mission to help others through our work at HRH. I have a close friend who constantly describes Bennett as a Saint. I couldn’t agree more and know I am blessed to have him. I do not know what bumps are in the cards for our family, but I know what we have already overcome will help us face what lies ahead. If our roles are ever reversed, I hope I can be half the caretaker he was.

How to raise charitable kids in an entitled world

August 29, 2014 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

I am blessed with a healthy family, loyal friends, a beautiful home and career that I love. Hill (5) and Claire (7) attend a wonderful school, take piano lessons and spend their weekends doing activities at museums, plays, movies and parks. They do not know what it feels like to be hungry, thirsty or without shelter, clothing, healthcare or education. Does any of this sound familiar? Chances are if you are reading this on your phone/tablet/computer and have children, you have a similar family life. On paper my kids may sound spoiled, entitled and over-scheduled but in person they are empathetic, charitable and kind. I am not always proud of my parenting decisions but this is one thing our family is getting right. My husband and I are raising charitable kids in an entitled world and you can too. Here’s how:

1. Lead by example. I spend 40 hours a week (unpaid) running High Risk Hope making sure we are positively impacting the lives of high risk moms and their babies. My kids are proud of what I do and talk about it often. Claire has declared she will take over HRH when I die, Hill immediately chimes in that he will take over because he is the first HRH Baby (ticks her off every time). Then the fight starts, followed by my bad parenting skill when I yell, STOP FIGHTING!

I recognize that the majority of society does not have the ability to dedicate unlimited hours every week to a charity, but how much of your time do you spend helping others in need? Do you remember your parents consistently helping others when you were a child? If the answers to those questions were zero and no, are you repeating that cycle with your children? How many hours does your child spend at extracurricular activities such as soccer, dance, swimming, etc.? We are all busy but it doesn’t take a lot of time to make a difference in the life of another. And it is free!

2. Help them identify their passion to find a cause. My passion is prolonging high risk pregnancies to ensure premature infants are born healthier. While I would love for Claire and Hill to share my passion, they don’t. They are passionate about animals, Claire anything that roams land, and Hill the sea. We talk about the animals they love and ways to help them, especially the ones who might one day be extinct. With all of the recent drama at Sea World (which we have visited) and their alleged mistreatment of large mammals, we discuss the pros and cons of having those beautiful creatures in captivity. Should we support Sea World by visiting? Maybe visit and volunteer at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium instead. We help them come to the decision and support it. What is your child’s passion? Once you figure it out you will have a captive audience. There are so many worthy causes out there that you will easily find one your child is excited about.

3. Pick a fundraising or volunteer activity that interests your child. This is the fun part, talk to your child about what their skills are and how they would like to help. Do you have a budding entrepreneur? Then help them host a lemonade stand. Want to avoid present overload at their birthday? Ask for donations in lieu of gifts. Have a future track star? Participate in a charitable athletic event. My favorite is the HRH Tot Trot held in Tampa every November! If you reach out to the charity you plan to support, they can give you ideas for your child based on age. At HRH, we make it easy for kids to get involved through mini-fundraisers. You don’t have to raise much; every dollar will help the charity you support.

4. Explain how their actions will help. “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”― Albert Einstein. As the adorable videos of kids pouring ice water on their head wind down, I wonder how many kids (and adults) actually learned something about ALS. If you do not fully explain to your child how their hard-earned money or time has helped the cause, you have missed a valuable opportunity and life lesson. Our family participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and donated to ALS, but I knew little about the disease. I took 15 minutes to learn about the cause our family was supporting and explained it to my children as this, “ALS is a bad disease that many people have, but there is currently no medicine to cure it. The Ice Bucket Challenge has raised 100 Million dollars to research new medicine to cure this disease and made people like us know a little more about it.” Done, lesson learned.

No one is perfect and I know my kids will make big mistakes growing up, just like I did. I also know that rather than lighting an endangered tortoise on fire or bullying a classmate to the brink of disaster, they will be the ones to help instead of hurt. By raising children who are charitable, kind and empathetic, we will all ensure the future of our community shines brighter than today.

Ten ways to help a friend on hospital bed rest or in the NICU

August 24, 2014 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

Through our outreach at High Risk Hope®
, I interact daily with families in a fight for their baby’s survival, whether on hospital bed rest or in the neonatal intensive care unit. Our HRH families have become extended members of my family, but I never expected to have an experience hit so close to home. This past month I found myself in unchartered territory when my college roommate and close friend was admitted to the hospital when her water broke months before her due date. When I received an early morning text from Jill that she was in labor and delivery at my hospital, I felt sick to my stomach. I knew what she was facing and how she was feeling because I had been through that exact moment five years ago when my water broke at 24 weeks. I grabbed my keys and headed for the hospital and my role shifted immediately from former hospital bed rest/NICU mom an HRH founder to someone who needed to support and encourage a good friend fighting for the life of her baby.

As a friend, your first instinct may be to ask your friend how you can help. I can promise you, she does not know what/how much help she needs, so here are my ‘expert’ tips and ten ways to help a friend on hospital bed rest or in the NICU:

1. Roll out the red carpet. If you spent months in the hospital your friend now calls home, chances are you may have some ‘pull’ with hospital staff. You may be able to help your friend experience the ‘perks’ of being an instant member of the hospital family. I knew my nurses would love Jill as much as I do, and she would be a low-maintenance and appreciative patient. I called to let them know she was on the way and they surprised me by giving her my old room on the high risk obstetric floor. In addition to being a very lucky room, #327 happens to have an incredible view and is far enough away from common areas to keep the noise down. When you are pregnant and on bed rest for months, a quiet room with a view is a very big deal. It took my husband Bennett and I a full month of kissing up to the nurses to get that prime room. Jill got it on her first day, which was pretty awesome!

2. Deliver a Bed Rest Basket™ or NICU Napsack™. While this may sound like thoughtful gift, it is actually a critical package containing every item a preemie mom or mom-to-be needs to survive a long-term hospital stay on bed rest or in the NICU. The items we include are not provided by hospitals and ensure every patient’s basic needs are met so the patients can focus on a healthy mom and baby. If your friend is ‘lucky’ enough to be a patient at one of HRH’s hospital partners, she will receive one from us free of charge. If not, you can order a mini version starting at $35 from the HRH Store and we will ship it to her!

3. Set up a meal delivery. Hospital menus were not designed for patients who may spend months in the hospital. Even if your hospital offers a gourmet menu (unlikely), the food gets old quickly. Set up a meal schedule with very close friends to deliver lunch and/or dinner each day to the hospital. Home-cooked meals will score extra brownie points, even if you are not the best cook! It is best to set up the meal delivery schedule weekly, since you never know when your friend may deliver the baby. Send out email reminders (bcc to your friend) with the schedule and drop-off instructions. Once the baby is delivered, end the schedule immediately and let the group know you will contact them if the family wants to resume meals.

4. Decorate her new home. Bring seasonal decorations, photos, potted plants and bedding to brighten up your friend’s new home. Your friend’s surroundings have a huge impact on her mood while on hospital bed rest, and you need to ensure her spirits are lifted from the moment she wakes up in the morning. For the NICU, it is best to put decorations in a bag and leave it with a note on your friend’s doorstep, as they may not be ready to have visitors in the NICU.

5. No unannounced visitors. You may think having a friend on bed rest in the hospital is an open invitation to stop by whenever it is convenient for you. It’s not, ‘drop-ins’ are not considerate, and you should always call before visiting. There are many reasons why you should call first, here is one that will hit home. Many patients are restricted to using a bed pan and do not have the ability to lock their door. How would you like to be that person to walk in on her using the bedpan or bedside commode?

6. Become your friend’s personal assistant. Only kidding, but there are many things you can do, or encourage others to do, that will be a help during their hospital stay. A few ideas include: clean their house, run errands, mow the lawn, drop off groceries at home and help set up the nursery.

7. Throw her a baby shower. Who says you can’t have a baby shower in the hospital? If your friend gives the OK, you may be able to arrange a shower through the nurses in the hospital conference room. The friends of one of our HRH twin mommies threw a virtual shower for her where she ‘attended’ via web cam. Her husband brought a few gifts for her to open every day. You can also organize a ‘group gift’ from people who would have attended the shower, and purchase items from her registry.

8. Help her celebrate pregnancy milestones. Every pregnancy milestone warrants a celebration! Bring a cake at 24 weeks, a bagel party at 26 weeks, pizza at 28 weeks, and a doughnuts at 32 weeks. This doughnut inspiration I brought Jill was from a HRH mom, Karyn, whose sister made her “32” out of cupcakes. If it is not too expensive, invite your friend’s favorite nurses and hospital staff to thank them for all of their help and support. The positive energy you create is contagious and will come back to your friend and her baby.

9. Take care of the other babies. Whether it is older children or pets, offer to take them as much as possible. You can help by taking them to school, on play dates, to sports practice and to hospital visits. Offer to spend nights with older children so her spouse can sleep at the hospital. Be creative with your activities, keeping in mind your friend will feel a tremendous amount of guilt being away from her older children. She wants to know they are having a great time while she is in the hospital focusing on the new baby. Also, don’t forget her spouse, who may be in desperate need for a night out and friend to talk to.

10. Start a NICU shuttle. Many preemie moms deliver via C-Section and are not able to drive for two weeks. This presents a huge problem when your new baby is in the NICU. Organize a list (with cell numbers) your friend can reach out to when she needs a no-obligation ride to and from the NICU to visit her baby. By no-obligation, I mean, the driver cannot expect a detailed baby update or visit to meet the baby in the NICU.

Remember, once a preemie mom, always a preemie mom. It is important to realize your friend’s journey does not end when the baby is discharged from the NICU, and she will need your continued support and understanding. Your friend has been in a state of extreme stress because the life of her baby has been at risk every minute of every day for months. That feeling of panic and helplessness does not go away because the hospital stay is over, and can continue for years. My son is 5 and I still have anxiety when I use the soap at my hospital, which proved very difficult to manage while supporting Jill during her hospital stay. PTSD in NICU parents is well documented, a Today.com article published earlier this year stated “The experience can be so traumatic that almost 60 percent of parents whose infants were hospitalized in the NICU were found to be at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder in a 2009 Stanford University School of Medicine study. In another study, researchers from the Duke School of Nursing interviewed 30 mothers of preemies in the NICU and found all of them had at least one post-traumatic symptom more than six months after their children were born.”

Most of all continue to be the great friend you must be if you are reading this blog. Call her every day, even though she may not answer or return your calls right away. When she is ready to talk about her crisis, be there to listen. You will feel an incredible sense of accomplishment with every milestone this baby makes knowing you had a part in ensuring he/she arrived safely. I personally will be shocked if Jill’s baby doesn’t grow up to be the United States President one day! Naturally, I will be campaigning for an invitation to the inauguration.

Tips to survive your preemie’s first day of school

August 19, 2014 By High Risk Hope

By Heather Barrow

My water broke when I was 24 weeks pregnant and I spent eight weeks on complete hospital bed rest until my sweet baby boy was born at 32 weeks. He spent two weeks in the NICU and is now a healthy, happy five-year-old little boy. As the mom of a NICU baby, I can say without shame that I have over celebrated every one of Hill’s milestones in the NICU and at home. His first day of school was no different but as I make it through the end of this exciting and terrifying day, I wanted to share a few survival tips for other moms (and dads) celebrating their child’s enormous accomplishment.

1. Let the teacher know about your child’s struggles and victories. When asked to “objectively” describe my son on the teacher information sheet, I quickly realized this was impossible. Rather than stress about over (or under) emphasizing Hill’s time spent in the NICU I decided the best course of action was to remove the word “objectively”. There is no way for me to objectively describe my miracle baby to anyone, especially to Mrs. Fruit, the lucky person who will be spending hours with him every day for the next year. What he has done in five short years is nothing short of amazing, and I want his teacher to know about it. I began the description with “Hill is perfect” and ended it with “He will be your favorite student”. Do I think my child is different than other children in his class? Yes, and your child is too. Every NICU graduate has faced tremendous struggles in their life from the moment of their birth and every day since. Being up front with the teacher about your child’s past will help to establish a strong partnership for the upcoming year.

2. There is no such thing as too many pictures. Take 100 photos if you need to but make sure to document every minute of this special day. Starting school is a day every NICU parent dreams of, and you have earned the right to be that parent with the camera around your neck. I saw a cute idea today where a mom wrote the grade on the chalkboard along with the sentence “I want to be a fairy,dolphin trainer, etc. when I grow up”. What an adorable way to see how your child’s answers change on the first day of school every year.

3. Take a moment to celebrate YOUR accomplishment. How many hours on bed rest, in the NICU, at specialist appointments, in therapy sessions, in surgeries, at doctors appointments and scouring the Internet have you poured into this moment? Your love and determination is a big part of the reason your child is starting school and you deserve a huge pat on the back! How you celebrate is up to you. I spent the day at High Risk Hope in meetings to plan the Calendar Baby photo shoots and had lunch with a good friend and fellow preemie mommy.

4. Have an extra special treat ready for pick-up. Today is not the day to skimp on the sugar for the after-school snack. Go to your local bakery and pick up your child’s favorite treat to celebrate this momentous occasion.

5. Realize your child may have bumps in the road ahead. Your preemie has not made it this far to let any small setback slow him down. With a new school comes new challenges with schoolwork and friends. Your preemie will not blink an eye at these minor challenges because he has faced far greater trials and is resilient and #NICUstrong!

Take photos like a pro in the NICU

August 6, 2014 By High Risk Hope

It can sometimes be difficult to take great photos of your baby in the NICU. High Risk Hope reached out to the official HRH Calendar Baby Contest photographer, The Gallery Studios to get their top 4 tips to ensure parents capture their baby’s important milestones and take photos like a pro in the NICU:

Keep it simple

When looking to take your photo consider if there are things in the image that could be removed to keep the image simple. Sometimes getting up high, down low or simply moving left of right will dramatically change the outcome of your photo. As your baby gets bigger and you are able to freely pick them up consider some images by a nearby window, which will create some beautiful soft light and provide a change of background scenery.

Capture the environment

Your baby may be spending days, weeks or months in the NICU. Make sure you step back and take an image of their bay from a couple of different angles to include all of their machines and monitors. One day your child might like to know which machine was which and what they all did.

Milestones and details

As your baby moves through the NICU and reaches milestones like 3 lb, moving from an isolette to an open crib, first cuddle, first breastfeed, etc. make sure you are taking photographs to mark the occasion. These moments will never be firsts again. Take images that capture the details; blood pressure being taken, sunglasses for photo therapy lights, when they are finally IV free, tiny fingers and toes etc., remember this is your baby’s story.

A sense of scale

Babies in the NICU are all different shapes and sizes, many are very small. Use your partner’s hand, a wedding band, a coin or a toy as a size comparison for your baby. As they get bigger take further images so you can see just how far they have come. As your baby will no doubt have restricted visitation no one will truly understand just how small your baby is unless you can provide that sense of scale.

Take NICU Photos Like A Pro

Gallery Studios NICU Photo Tips

Congratulations Karyn!

May 2, 2014 By High Risk Hope

We bet you don’t recognize High Risk Hope mommy Karyn without her 32 weeks glasses on. Sweet Kellan is proof that a positive attitude reaps great rewards, Congratulations!!

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida 2014 Woman of Promise

April 30, 2014 By High Risk Hope

Our Executive Director and Founder, Heather Barrow, was honored as the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida 2014 Woman of Promise!

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s Women of Distinction honors and celebrates local women, linking leaders of today with future women leaders we are developing through Girl Scouting. Visit their website here: https://www.gswcf.org/donate/women_of_distinction/2014_honorees/

Congratulations Heather!

Six ways to shift from medical victim to health advocate

Find the humor in your hospital stay

Emerge from a health crisis with a rock solid marriage

How to raise charitable kids in an entitled world

Ten ways to help a friend on hospital bed rest or in the NICU

Tips to survive your preemie’s first day of school

Take photos like a pro in the NICU

Congratulations Karyn!

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida 2014 Woman of Promise

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