NICU Resources for Families

Our Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) on Anschutz Medical Campus and in Colorado Springs provide exceptional care for the most critically ill newborns. Whether your baby needs critical care for a few days or several months, Children’s Hospital Colorado provides many resources to make your stay more comfortable.

NICU patient support services

When your baby is in our NICU we’re not just caring for them but your whole family. Throughout your stay, our specialists will support you, answer questions and help you prepare to go home.

NICU child life specialist

We have NICU child life specialists to help promote healthy development and improve coping during hospitalization. Our child life specialists partner with your doctors, nurses and other providers to support your family. They are trained in child development and often advocate for patients as well as use therapeutic play, education, normalization and memory-making to support families while they are in the hospital.

Our NICU child life specialists understand the unique medical challenges of critically ill newborns and their family members. They specialize in providing age-appropriate support for babies, siblings and parents. They can also help explain what to expect from care and prepare you to go home.

Mental health and social support

Having a baby in the NICU affects many parts of your life, so we provide a wide range of mental health and other social support services to help your family. Our experts help with everything from prenatal (before birth) counseling to bonding with your baby in the NICU to postpartum mental health issues.

Neonatal palliative care

If your baby has a critical illness we will provide the best medical care available and help ease their symptoms. We can also provide your entire family with palliative care services, such as decision-making support, memory-making opportunities, family bonding and much more.

Temporary housing support

For families who are staying with us for a longer period of time, we can help coordinate temporary housing close to our hospital on Anschutz Medical Campus at Brent’s Place or Ronald McDonald House Charities. In Colorado Springs, we also work with Ronald McDonald House Charities to provide temporary housing to families just steps away from our NICU. Watch to see how Ronald McDonald House made a difference for Ava’s family.

Sibling support

Young siblings don’t always understand why their brother or sister is in the NICU, and hospitals can be tough places for them to spend time. But since our hospitals are designed just for children, we make time in the hospital as comfortable as possible for patients – and their siblings.

Sibling services on Anschutz Medical Campus include:

• Daily craft activities in our atrium Monday through Friday
• Family Health Library, including homework help Monday through Friday
• Creative Play Center
• T(w)een Zone
• Seacrest Studios
• Family Resource Center

Sibling services in our Colorado Springs hospital include:

• Ronald McDonald Family Room
• Creative Play Center
• Family Media Area

Learn more about hospital resources in Aurora and resources in Colorado Springs.

NICU family education

As partners in your child’s care, we will teach you about your baby’s condition and care. Our providers will answer all your questions and ensure you feel comfortable going home with your child and caring for them there as necessary.

In the NICU, we teach you specific skills so you are prepared to care for your baby. These classes cover topics such as using a feeding tube (known as a G-tube), infant CPR, home oxygen management and many others. Our providers will inform you about these classes as appropriate.

At our hospital on Anschutz Medical Campus, our Family Health Library in our atrium is also a great source of information on children’s health.

If you have any questions once you go home, our ParentSmart Healthline is available 24/7 and staffed by pediatric nurses ready for your questions.

Additional NICU educational resources

Before, during or after your stay in our NICU, several organizations provide valuable educational and community resources to help your baby thrive. Below are some organizations that have helped families we have cared for:

• Love for Lily: Provides support for families while in the NICU and after they go home
• Hand to Hold: Provides resources for before, during and after a NICU stay including peer-to-peer support and online communities
• March of Dimes: A national organization supporting the health of mom and baby in the NICU
• Bright Futures: A program within the American Academy of Pediatrics to help promote health in all children with specific resources for infants

NICU patient and family journey

Our neonatal experts can tell you a lot about your baby’s condition, care and what to expect. But they can’t always tell you how it will feel to have an extended stay in the NICU. That’s why we connected a family whose babies recovered and grew in our NICU with a family expecting that same experience.

Additional NICU family resources