Financial Resources
Costs for a NICU stay can include: hospital bills (main cost), food, transportation, parking, pumping accessories etc. In the United States, costs will vary by hospital and state. Depending on your health plan and coverage and your child’s length of stay, you may have to navigate challenges with your baby’s health insurance and things you did not expect to have to pay for.
Accommodations
If your baby is in the NICU for an extended time, you may need to stay closer to the hospital.
Inquire with your hospital social worker about whether you qualify for the Ronald McDonald House program. They provide a place to stay for parents of critically ill children (in Canada), or parents of in/out-patients of a hospital.
Ronald McDonald House Charities - United States
Ronald McDonald House Charities - Canada
Find out if local government offers accommodation subsidies. For example, in British Colombia, the BC Family Residence Program offers accommodation subsidies for families with children receiving medical care at BC Children’s Hospital or Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children. The BC government also maintains a list of hotels that offer discounted accommodations for families with children receiving medical care.
Paying the Bill
Affording the NICU: 6 Ways to Reduce the Cost - Hand to Hold
Paying for Your Baby’s NICU Stay - March of Dimes
Additional Tips:
Government Assistance
Government Assistance for Premature Babies - Growing Family Benefits
In Canada, regional governments may offer various types of assistance. For example, transportation assistance may be available for families coming from rural areas to receive medical care.
Non-Profit Assistance
Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation - Offers financial assistance to families in crisis due to high-risk/complicated pregnancies, premature birth/NICU stays, or loss
NICU Helping Hands - Offers financial assistance with grocery, restaurant, and gas expenses
Peer Support and Online Communities
Stories from Other Parents
Stories from the Neonatal Unit - Neonatal Stories/Julia Petty
Your Stories - Bliss (for babies born premature or sick)
NICU Videos and Stories - Mighty Miracles
Online Communities*
Hand to Hold - (Support groups, peer-to-peer mentoring, bereavement support, counseling, and resources)
Project NICU - (Support groups, online communities, mentoring, and blog)
Grahams Foundation - (Care packages, mentorship, app, and resources)
*Ask your hospital if they have a Facebook group for their NICU parents. For example, St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto Canada has this group.
Local Resources
Each state and city may have local resources for NICU parents at your baby’s hospital or community. Ask your baby’s hospital. Here are a few local resources as an example:
NICU Helping Hands - Offers peer mentorship in Fort Worth, TX
Bee Mighty - Offers peer mentorship in North and South Carolina
Eve’s Victory - Offers free care packages for NICU parents in Saint Thomas, PA
Grief Support
Baby’s Breath - Canadian website offering grief support for parents experiencing the loss of an infant
For Dads
Dad Central - Canadian website & blog offering parenting resources specifically tailored to fathers)
For Friends and Family
Canada-Specific
Recommended Resources - Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (resources listed by Canadian provinces)
EI Caregiving Benefits - Government of Canada (employment insurance benefits for caregivers of critically ill children)
Child Disability Benefit (CBD) - Government of Canada (you may qualify for caregiving benefits through the EI program if you are caring for a child who is disabled as a result of a birth injury or other complication)
Canadian Hearing Services, (877) 347-3427 / (877) 347-3429
Canada Easter Seals, (416) 932-8382 (for children with physical disabilities)