NICU Survival Kits

So the week before Caleb arrived we got  to bring 6 survival kits to the NICU!  We were so excited to finally get some up there and so were they.  The doctors and nurses were more than gracious to receive them which made us walk away with such a positive feeling.  So, I plan to get these details on the website as soon as I can, but for now you can see it here.  It costs us approximately $20 to $25 to make one basket.  We try to include a wide variety of items so that they are both practical and full of hope.  We want to meet needs both physical and spiritual as best we can.  


Here is what they look like:

Boy Survival Kit

Girl Survival Kit

 We made boy and girl kits because we had a card and cross that we included that were girl or boy colored.  Since we didn't want to give the family of a little boy a pink cross, we separated them, but we could just as easily do gender neutral baskets.  Keep in mind that these will be ever changing baskets.  No two will be exactly alike, but this is just one example for us to use. 

Every basket get a postcard that looks like this

And this is a letter to the family on the back of the postcard

 

We included water bottles with flavor drink mixes, peanut butter crackers and chocolate candy. You can always use water when you spend your days (and nights) at the NICU, some protein and carbs to sustain you between meals in the crackers and during stressful situations you can always use some chocolate (or if you just need a sugar pick-me-up). 

We also included some anti bacterial wipes, anti bacterial hand soap, lotion, Kleenex and mouth wash.  There is always something you wish you had a wipe to clean (even if it's your hands) in the hospital, hand gel because when it comes to the NICU, you can never keep your hands clean enough, lotion because when you wash your hands 75 times a day they tend to get pretty dry and mouth wash because you never know how long you will have to go without brushing your teeth and it's always nice to freshen up.



Also, included are hopeful items like our Survival Kit postcard to remind you that you are not alone, someone is praying for you and that there is hope in the Lord, a notepad with pen to write down memories, thoughts, emotions, bible verses people tell you, contact info or anything else you may need it for, a cross ornament just to serve as a reminder whether it's to have faith, keep your hope or focus on the blessing and faith cards to keep in your wallet or pocket to do the same.

 We and several other prayed over these kits.  We prayed for the families they would go to and for the doctors and nurses to have discernment over who to give them to.  We have heard a couple stories from the staff about the families that have received them so far and about how they are happy to have them to give away. We are hoping to be able to make a delivery of kits to the NICU once a month.   Please pray for us and our foundation  and everyone involved with it as we are still figuring everything out and trying to grow.  It's such a blessing to us to be able to bless somebody else!  There is divine healing in it as well.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we received from God."  2 Corinthians 1:3-4