Posted by: Callista Dammann on Oct 08, 2025


First published November 2013 Updated October 2025 I am a NICU mom. For 175 days, I was a NICU mom. I watched my daughter grow and thrive inside the walls of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I rode the NICU rollercoaster, with all of its ups and downs, and it was a tumultuous, bumpy ride.

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Pediatric News You Can Use From America’s Largest Pediatric Hospital and Research Center

700 Children’s® features the most current pediatric health care information and research from our pediatric experts – physicians and specialists who have seen it all. Many of them are parents and bring a special understanding to what our patients and families experience. If you have a child – or care for a child – 700 Children’s was created especially for you.

Latest Posts

Using Brain MRI to Fight Delays in Preemies

Jun 13, 2014

When I started working as a neonatologist almost 15 years ago, I loved helping premature babies cope with the problems of being born too early. But I hated having to tell worried parents that they would just have to “wait and see” if their baby would have developmental problems. Read More

Gillian's Journey: One Micro-Preemie's Story of Hope

Apr 16, 2014

This story was shared by a Justice associate about her journey with Nationwide Children’s in support of the Give Hope Campaign. Eight years ago, Robyn and her husband, Jason, were delighted with the news of her pregnancy. Read More

From a Former NICU Mommy

Dec 06, 2013

Benjamin Miller filmed his son’s first year, posted the video online on his wife’s birthday and the beautiful touching story went viral on YouTube with currently more than 7 million views. Ward finally got to go home after spending more than 100 days in our NICU. Read More

Early Oral Stimulation for Premature Babies

Aug 16, 2013

It’s common knowledge that one way to comfort a baby is to give a pacifier. What you may not know is that in premature babies, the act of sucking sometimes doesn’t come naturally. Read More

Dear New NICU Mom

Jul 29, 2013

At 24 days old, my little girl developed necrotizing enterocolitis and was transferred in the middle of the night to Nationwide Children’s. It was at that moment that I became eternally grateful to have a top neonatology department so close to home. Read More

Kangaroo Care: The Magic of a Good Cuddle for Premature Babies or Any Newborn

Jun 06, 2013

I was in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit yesterday and I’m always impacted by how tiny these fragile newborns can be – many weighing a pound or less (imagine the size of a soda can – that’s how small some of the babies we care for can be). Read More