Topics:
Support system for premature babies
Parents of preemies find hope — and a friend — in NICU parent coordinator Kate Robson.
Kate Robson, a NICU staffer. Photo by Doug Nicholson/MediaSource.
When Kate Robson talks to parents of premature babies, she can't help but draw from her own experience. She delivered both of her children early, and knows how scary each day with a preemie can be. "In order to help families, I have to go back to the most difficult moments of my life," she says. Her first child, Maggie, was born at only 25 weeks and spent more than four months in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) suffering from heart, lung, intestinal and eye issues. Her second daughter, Grace, was born at 33 weeks and also spent time in the NICU.
Having a parent volunteer to talk to is what helped Robson cope after the births of her daughters. She eventually became a volunteer in the unit herself, which morphed into her current role as parent coordinator at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre’s NICU in Toronto. “The fact that I had two different experiences with babies of different gestational ages was important,” Robson says. Now Robson helps parents deal with the stresses surrounding premature births and collaborates with hospital staff and parents to plan educational programs for those with premature babies. She also visits expectant mothers in the high-risk unit, who are anticipating a preterm birth. “We have tea together — it’s a great opportunity to talk, so they know what to expect before they enter the NICU. I want moms and dads to know they’re not alone and to support them as they learn to be the best parents they can be,” Robson says.
She also helped create a website for the hospital’s NICU families and staff, maintains a blog with parent contributors (nicublog.sunnybrook.ca) and connects people via Facebook. Parents of preemies use the various sites to share personal stories, ask questions, post baby pictures and stay in touch with one another long after they’ve left the hospital.
“I met Kate when I was feeling so lost after giving birth,” says Sabrina Iacobelli, who delivered her daughter Aaliyah (now a healthy six- month-old) at 28 weeks. “Sometimes the medical terms were intimidating and Kate helped me understand them. She was so comforting.” Iacobelli also appreciates the ongoing network- ing Robson facilitates with other parents. “She really brings us together and gets the conversations started without being invasive.”
Prenatal anxiety: Tips and treatment 
Pregnancy journal (printable)
Pregnancy brain: It's not all in your head
Beyonce is not pregnant, says Jay-Z
Lisa says: Constipation devastation
Body image survival guide for parents
Prenatal anxiety: Tips and treatment 
Healthy Family Challenge
KRBlais (not verified) says ....
I think this is a wonderful program. I wish every hospital had a support system for parents of premmies. As a parent of a premmie, the only way I got through my little ones stay in the NICU was leaning on friends who had also had that experience no less than 4 months earlier. They came and visited, and just kept me company between those long hours in the NICU. Having the shoulder to cry on, and the knowledge that if they survived, so can I, really helped. Great job!