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Daddy Clay: For the parents of the half million babies that are born prematurely in this country
every year, the impact doesn't end when they leave the neonatal intensive care unit. That's
why there's such a great need for organizations like HandToHold.org. Today, we had the great
opportunity to speak with Kelli Kelley, the founder and executive director of that organization.
Kelli Kelley: I am the mother of two children who were born pre-term. My son Jackson was
born at 24 weeks. He weighed a pound and a half. And we had a NICU stay of more than
10 months. He's now 10 years old and doing very, very well. Then my daughter was born
2 and a half years after my son. And she's what you would consider a late-term
preemie. I made it to 34 weeks before delivering her. And she was a healthy weight, had a very
short NICU stay, but has had many ongoing challenges. Hand to Hold is a non-profit organization.
It is a pilot here in central Texas. We provide resources, education and support for parents
of premature babies, babies how have been born with a special health care need, and
parents who have experienced a loss because of these complications. What they're gonna
find there are stories from families who are NICU graduates. They're gonna find links and
ways to get connected to other families. They're gonna find list of websites. Books about the
prematurity experience. Information about bereavement and loss. Research is showing
that more than 76% of parents experience some form of post traumatic stress disorder during
and after the NICU. What we have also found through research is by partnering one of those
parents with a seasoned NICU graduate family, to even receive one phone call, one email
a week, drastically reduces the impact of that post traumatic stress on the family.
So we train our seasoned NICU graduate parents and match them very specifically with another
family with a similar story. So if you're a dad of a micropreemie, born at 24 weeks,
we want to match you with another father of a micropreemie who was born at 24 weeks and
who may now be 10 years old. From my personal experience, I think it's so important to ask
for help and allow people to help you. I think it is important to realize that not all of
your friends and family really understand. It's a very isolating experience. It's very
challenging financially, emotionally, physically. It's very demanding on your marriage. So it
is really important to reach out for support and help. And that's why through Hand to Hold,
we really advocate for you to get that one on one peer match. We really want to educate
parents about what to expect after the NICU. I think a lot of us think everything is fine
when we walk out of that hospital door. And certainly we hope that is the case. But typically
there are many years that follow of ongoing doctor's appointments and therapy. And often
many issues surrounding when the child enters school.
Daddy Clay: Thanks to our sponsors BabyBjorn whose front carriers are inspired by the benefits
given by kangaroo care in neonatal intensive care units. As a father of a preemie myself,
I know exactly how valuable an organization like Hand to Hold can be. So I urge you, if
you've got a preemie, check out their website, HandToHold.org. Thank you to Kelli Kelley
for her interview. We'll see you next time here in The Lab.