NICU Babies

We had a little pig that I had the duplicate of, so when we weren't together we still had that connection. Our NICU also gave some lovies to swap over periodically. Because of infection control etc we couldn't put the pig in the cot but it was near her and that helped me. Books are good, it's a way of interacting, even if you can't hold them you can always read to them. Our NICU provided all nappies and everything so we didn't really need to worry about things for baby as such. Foot/handprint kit for when it's possible to get prints. Depending on length of stay you miss some experiences that people do with newborns, like photoshoots etc so do the things you can do. And if you like that sort of thing plan it for when you're out. Take lots of photos. I'd look at pics while expressing milk if I wasn't with her.

If you're looking for gift ideas rather than for yourself, food is always a win- someone sent us cook vouchers for healthy frozen meals which helped save us from a lot of takeaways on difficult days.