NICU Awareness Month

September is NICU Awareness Month

NICU families need support.

Every year, more than half-a-million families will be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This means that 1 in 8 families will experience the unique traumas and the unique joys that come with giving birth to a baby who has special healthcare needs.

Whether their baby’s stay is brief or long, uncomplicated or complex, a NICU stay changes how parents care for their infants and what their family's journey will look like as they transition from the NICU to home.

Members of the National Perinatal Association are aware of and attuned to these needs. And we want to meet families where they are with the services and supports that they need to adapt, adjust, and thrive together with their babies.

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NICU Awareness Observances

September 15 - Neonatal Nurses Day
September 26 - NICU Remembrance Day
September 27 - NICU Giving Day
September 28 - NICU Staff Appreciation Day
September 29 - Sibling Support Day
September 30 - NICU Awareness Day

Important Articles from the National Perinatal Association:

Education for NICU Staff:

We believe that strengthening the parent-baby bond and family functioning in the NICU is the “next big frontier” in improving care. Supporting NICU parents is equally important to providing medical care to their baby, yet few programs provide professionals with the education, instruction, and skills training that they need to deliver trauma-informed, respectful, family-centered care.

The National Perinatal Association and NICU Parent Network have collaborated to create a 7-module online continuing education series. “Caring for Babies and Their Families: Providing Psychosocial Support in the NICU” provides much-needed staff training and education to improve psychosocial support and family-centered developmental care. The course brings research and parent voice to the forefront simultaneously to deliver the only education of its kind to the NICU professional space.

Learn more about our collaboration.