From time to time, I love to tell you about unique or helpful products I’ve come across and this one I’m sharing today is truly special.

My second son was born with medical complications and was moved to the NICU a day after birth. It was sheer torture having my newborn baby taken away from me in the hospital, and even though I knew he was being well care for and getting the added attention he needed at that time, I had a heavy heart that I couldn’t snuggle with him in my room like all of the other moms, couldn’t feed him in bed, couldn’t hold him while visitors came to congratulate us at the hospital.

One thing I remember feeling most is that I wanted to stay connected to my baby. I wanted to know when he’d been washed, been held, been fed. I didn’t want to be just a spectator of his care. I wanted to feel involved.

Thankfully my baby boy wasn’t in the NICU for long, but I met some special people while visiting him each day and night, and I learned a lot from these doctors, nurses and parents of other NICU babies.

A baby’s first months of life are filled with countless milestones. But those early firsts may be drastically different for healthy babies than they are for babies living their first weeks and months of life in the NICU. It was for these parents and babies that Katrena Shirley created Dreemie Preemie, a special way to record and celebrate a premature or sick infant’s progress in the hospital and at home.  Dreemie Preemie baby book pages are tailored to preemie or NICU babies. Parents can track milestones with a preemie’s adjusted age versus actual age. With the NICU pages, parents can chart medical milestones, like moving from a feeding tube to a bottle, or the first time a baby can wear real clothes or take a bath.

These tailored baby book pages are a beautiful way to keep track of your baby’s special moments (and to feel involved when these moments happen if you’re not there). There are entry spaces for the nurses and parents to leave notes, make comments and paste photos.

Dreemie Preemie started with baby book pages specifically for preemies, but has expanded to include full-term healthy babies, adopted babies and multiples. Katrena believes that every baby’s birth is a miracle and every baby deserves to have the story of his/her birth preserved in a special way. 

You can read more about Katrena Shirley’s Dreemie Preemie baby book pages and other Huggies MomInspired Grant Program recipients at HuggiesMomInspired.com. 2012 grant winners will be announced in October, so check back for more information on amazing must-have products and services!