Celebrating NICU Milestones

The NICU Milestone Photo Program is a free gift to Bronson Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) patients and families. It combines art, graphic design and photos as a visual way to honor NICU babies' development during their hospital stay. By providing Milestone Cards weekly, families are able to create a keepsake album that celebrates their baby’s development and journey throughout the NICU admission. Each Milestone Card also includes a list of accomplishments from the week, like breathing without assistance from special masks/nose tubes, recovering from surgery, no more IV, or moving to a crib from a temperature controlled isolette. Milestone Cards also honor the events of a baby’s first days and weeks that are made even more precious because of what families have to overcome in the NICU. This can include being held for the first time, bath time, meeting older siblings, gaining weight and wearing clothes for the first time.

The NICU Milestone Photo Program, with the help of Music Therapy and the Parent Liaison, also help the NICU babies and families celebrate the holidays and seasons throughout the year, helping create a sense of normalcy and make sure that being in the hospital means families won't completely miss out on special days and celebrations. Costumes, toys, books and baby items are used to create precious (and super cute!) portraits - like today's celebration theme "May the Fourth be With You"/Star Wars. For NICU families and Staff, each moment of a NICU baby’s life, no matter how big or small, is something to be celebrated and cherished.

Teammates who help make the Milestones Photo Program a success include: Pat Mehl, Lead Volunteer for Milestone Photo Program, Meg Weryha, Art Therapist and NICU Photo Program Coordinator, and Ruth Ritzema, NICU Parent Liaison.