Graham’s Foundation

MagicKitchen.com has long recognized the challenges new parents face to get nutritious, tasty meals on the table with ease while caring for their newborn baby. Since 2009 we’ve partnered with Graham’s Foundation, a charitable foundation for parents of micro-preemie babies, to offer even greater support to a niche population of new parents.

The founders of Graham’s Foundation, Nick and Jennifer Hall, know firsthand the roller coaster ride of emotions and challenges that having and raising a preemie baby bring; they experienced the struggles themselves when their twins Graham and Reece were born at just 25 weeks gestation. Reece survived after 4 months in the Neonatal Care Unit but the couple lost Graham after just 45 days. Today, the foundation that carries his namesake seeks to ease the burdens of parents of micro-preemies by providing care packages that offer practical and emotional support during parents stays at the NICU.

Today Nick says:

In addition to the pain and the stresses of having a daughter or son born far too soon, whether that amazing baby is struggling to survive or thriving against all odds, there is a practical side to being the parent of a micro-preemie. While there are those fortunate fathers and mothers who have backgrounds in medicine or child development and feel comfortable with the medical paraphernalia, treatments, and therapies that become an important part of the lives of families with micro-preemies, many parents have never even heard of micro-preemies before being introduced to their own.

In the past, we have called parenting a micro-preemie an isolating experience. It can also be a confusing one. The needs of babies and children born too soon are unique, and seldom mentioned in childcare manuals or on websites geared toward new parents. A micro-preemie will have her own health needs. She’ll meet milestones on her own terms and in her own time. Her parents will hear dictionary’s worth of medical jargon in her first year alone, and when she’s released from the NICU, it may feel like she’s bringing half of it home with her.

That’s why the mission of Graham’s Foundation now goes beyond the NICU. From the beginning, we have endeavored to let parents with extremely premature infants in the hospital know that they aren’t alone in what they’re facing. Over time, however, as we have connected with more and more parents of micro-preemies of all ages, we began testing ways to connect micro-preemie parents with their peers and to become a source of support for families who have left the NICU, but not necessarily the turmoil and uncertainty, behind.

Right now, on our Facebook page, new parents of micro-preemies are connecting with one another, asking each other questions and answering them. Our Twitter feed is keeping some up to date on new issues facing those caring for micro-preemies. We’re developing care packages that are geared toward the needs of parents making the joyful but tough transition from NICU to home. And we’re out there, online and in the real world, raising awareness so that someday all parents of micro-preemie know that help, support, and someone who understands what they are facing are all just a phone call, a click, or an email away.