Both my children were born late so I don’t have personal experience of this, but I am aware that there can be patchy local mental health support for parents of premature babies and so I wanted to try to gather some resources in case someone needs them. I would be more than happy to expand this section if anyone knows of any resources I haven’t mentioned – do let me know. Intuitively, ACT could be helpful as the challenges and emotions associated with caring for a premature baby may be long-term, and ACT has a good evidence base for other chronic life challenges. If you are reading this as a parent with a child in NICU, consider taking a look at the other resources from an ACT perspective that I have collated so far. Also intuitively Compassion Focussed Therapy resources may be particularly helpful, so consider having a look at that page and those resources too.
Websites
Bliss are a charity offering information and resources for parents of babies born premature or sick. During Covid-19, they are offering emotional support by email and video calls. You can also check on their website what local support might be available to you.
Home
Spoons are a charity who offer support to the whole family from the time a premature baby is admitted to the neonatal unit. There are Facebook groups through Spoons for parents of premature babies, including one specifically for dads.
https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/
Depending on the circumstances, there may be relevant reading and resources here too. There are some parent stories on the website from parents with experience of NICU.
Relevant books
Mothership by Francesca Segal – about the author’s experience of NICU with twins born at 30 weeks gestation. The author also recorded a podcast with the same name, in which she interviewed other parents and medical professionals.
Preemies by Trent Paroli and Weschler Doron
The first breath by Olivia Gordon – a collection of memoirs from a journalist who had experience as a mum on NICU
Social Media
In addition to the Facebook groups mentioned above, Twitter has #nicuhour on a Wednesday between 8-9pm – following the hashtag may lead to useful resources
