Our Family Library Cart (see below) is a great resource for parents and families to learn about the care of babies in the NICU. Families also often ask us about reliable sources of information on the internet. Some websites that we suggest visiting are:

• The March of Dimes
• Information about premature babies from the American Academy of Pediatrics & En Español
• Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine for patients and families

Other Resources

• Spiritual Care: Chaplains are part of your health care team, working closely with physicians, nurses, social workers and other health care providers. Visit our spiritual care page to learn more about our spiritual care advisors, chapels and quiet rooms.
• Breastfeeding & Lactation Consultants: Lactation Consultants are available to help you. Learn more about our breastfeeding support resources and outpatient breastfeeding clinic.
• Family Library Cart: You’re welcome to browse our library cart for books on subjects related to the NICU, many written by graduate parents. There are also children’s books which you can read to your baby or your baby’s siblings. You may borrow these books to take to your baby’s room or to your home, but we ask that you please return them for others to read. The cart can be found in the Family Lounge.
• Scrapbooking: Scrapbooking supplies are available in the Family Lounge. You can ask a Child Life Specialist for a scrapbook for your baby.
• Hope Beads: Families can construct a necklace made from beads that symbolize the NICU journey. Hope Beads are available through our Child Life Specialists. Each bead represents a milestone in your baby’s stay with us, like the First Bath Penguin or the Kangaroo Care Ladybug. Beads are strung on a cord for parents and siblings to take home.
• Second Saturdays Family Lunch: On the Second Saturday of each month, families and friends are invited to the Family Lounge at 12 noon, for lunch and to visit with other NICU families. Pizza, salad, dessert, and drinks are served. These meals are a gift from Domino’s Pizza.
• Infant Massage Instruction: A trained infant massage instructor can teach families infant massage, which promotes bonding, reduces tension and fussing, aids in physical development, and helps relieve colic. Please ask your nurse about this service.
• U-M NICU graduates email list: If you’d like receive occasional emails and an annual reunion reminder notice, please fill out the contact information card you receive upon admission and return it to the box at the clerk desk.
• Annual NICU Graduate Family Reunion: Each year, NICU graduates and their families are invited to a NICU graduate reunion that featuring games, crafts and entertainment.  The reunion is typically held in the Fall.

For families with medically complex infants, navigating the health care system and transitioning from hospital to home care can be a daunting task. 

The Little Victors League (LVL) is a family support program that helps babies who are born with or develop complex medical conditions. Team members are skilled at identifying resources, both at the hospital and in the community, that are most helpful to families with a medically complex child.

Dedicated care coordination during your baby’s hospital stay provides a pathway to a quicker and safer discharge home. After discharge, having partners in the community leads to more efficient communication, a better understanding of a family’s unique situation, and a unified approach to the baby’s well-being and quality of life.

Launched in 2021, the LVL was inspired and championed by the Little Heroes League in Chicago, a care coordination program for infants started by Kim and Will Ulaszek. Inspired by the firsthand challenges in care coordination they witnessed with their medically complex granddaughter, Livia, the Ulaszeks founded the charity to help other babies like Livi thrive and live their best lives.

Some of the care and resources the LVL may provide include: