Approximately one year ago, my twin daughters were born two months premature. Since they were premature and born less than five pounds each they were sent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where they would receive special care.
From the moment I entered the NICU I was greeted warmly and saw that my babies were in the best of care. The nurses took their time to explain everything regarding the health of my babies and what all the pieces of equipment surrounding them were. They answered all our questions with patience and understanding.
Since we spent a month visiting the NICU we learned that these NICU nurses usually don’t have only one baby to take care of; they can have up to 3 or 4 babies to care for at one time. They also work 12-hour shifts. The most beautiful aspect about the NICU nurses is that they give a little bit of their heart to each and every baby they help care for. They spend more time taking care of other people’s babies than they do their own family.
Why not show your appreciation for all their work and kindness by giving them a special gift?
Homemade or Bakery Treats
Whether you bake the treats or purchase bakery items, the nurses will appreciate it just the same. Muffins, scones, or bagels are always smiled upon in the morning when served for breakfast with butter and cream cheese and a variety of jellies or jams. Cookies, pastries, and cakes are perfect for the night shift. In addition, you can bring in coffee and tea, which always helps them get through those long, hard nights.
Fruit Baskets
If you have the right tools, time and talent then you can put one of these together yourself. If not, then there are a number of websites that you can order from. The arrangements can be cute and simple or elaborate and beautiful depending on what your finances will allow. Remember to check to see how many people each basket feeds; you may need to send two for the two different shifts of nurses.
Rocking Chair
When my daughters were in the NICU there was another couple with a baby right next to ours. Their baby went home earlier than our girls and as a thank you for all the hard work the nurses do they bought a rocking chair with a little gold plague engraved with, “Thank you to the NICU. We saw other rocking chairs that were donated that read “In Celebration of (baby’s name here).
Rocking chairs are such a wonderful donation for the NICU because it benefits the nurses as well as the other parents while caring for their babies.
Chocolates/Candy
Chocolates and candy are such a great gift because there are such a wide variety of choices. There are plenty of stores that you can walk into and purchase packages such as Godiva Chocolatier and Lindt Chocolates. You can also order chocolates online as well.
Monetary Donation
Another way to show your appreciation is to make a monetary donation to a children’s charity in the name of the hospital in which the NICU is in. Some children’s charities are St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or UNICEF.
Breakfast/Dinner
Just like everyone else, these nurses take breaks and love to eat good food. They especially get hungry from all the hours they put in and these hours are spent mostly on their feet. As much they love their snacks and goodies, no one is going to complain about being given a free meal in appreciation of their hard work.
For the morning shift, bagels or donuts served with coffee and tea always hits the spot. Be sure to ask for the general number of employees that are on each shift. If your baby is still in the NICU than you can bring these treats in yourself or if your baby has gone home already than you can have them delivered.
For the evening shift, pizza or subs served with a variety of sodas and water are nice. Also, you may want to add a side such as potato chips or a type of salad. Again, make sure that you’ve ordered enough for everyone. When sending or bringing subs, always remember there may be a vegetarian on the floor so you may want to get some regular cheese sub sandwiches.
Letter
A letter of appreciation (naming all the nurses that took care of your baby) sent to the Nurse Supervisor, Director of Nursing, the Director of the Hospital, and Patient Relations letting them know how much the nurses did and how pleased you are with the care of your baby may go a long way. Hopefully this letter will find its way into their personal files and be helpful to them in their future.
Flowers
Flower bouquets are always a beautiful way of saying thanks. There are plenty of websites that will deliver or you can pick the flowers up and deliver them yourself.
Another option is to make the bouquet yourself out of silk flowers bought at a local craft store. This is a way for your thank you to stand the test of time.
Personalized Stethoscope
This gift is not advised if a team of nurses helped in the day-to-day care of your baby. Sometimes you may have a choice as to whether you want one or two specific nurses to care for your baby. This is the situation where this gift works well. Nurses normally have to buy their own stethoscopes so this not only helps them in a monetary sense but it’s also a personal way to show your gratitude.
Scrapbook
This idea takes a little bit more time than the other ideas mentioned in this article. It also may get costly depending on how elaborate you get. It would be a good idea to get a picture of your baby with every nurse that takes care of him/her. When it came to my daughters I had at least 10 different nurses take care of them throughout their stay. When you have those all set, you can visit a craft store and buy the scrapbooking materials for the photo album.
If you’re sending your gift after your baby leaves the NICU, always include an updated picture of your little one for the nurses. The nurses always love to see the babies and how they have grown since they left the NICU.
