When we were in the nicu, it really helped me stay positive by adding a little bit of decor to our room, to make it feel like her first nursery. I figured, we are going to here for a few months, and this is her first room, so it needs to be cheerful. She did all the same firsts in that room that she would have done in her nursery at home, including breastfeeding and bottle feeding for the first time, getting her first bath, listening to countless lullabies sung by mommy, getting her first book read to her, wearing her first outfit, getting countless diaper changes by mom and dad, and having lots and lots of snuggle time with mom and dad. Having the sterile hospital room feel a little homey was important to me. So we brought in some blankets from her nursery at home, hung a sign from her room that said "you are my sunshine", and hung a photo of mom and dad as well. Our closet was full of preemie clothes, swaddles, and little things like milestone cards and footprint ink kits. We got a lot of gifts when she was born, so this girl had a lot. Some of the nurses made fun of us for it, but I didn't care. This was my first baby, and I wanted her first few months of life and my first few months as a mom to feel as normal as possible, in the farthest-from-normal setting imaginable.
The last thing you have time for when you're in the nicu is making cute milestone cards and positive phrase signs to hang in your room. So I made some for you! Many of these can also be for moms of newborns that aren't staying in the nicu.
