BETTENDORF, Iowa —
A Bettendorf family is sharing gifts with families that have children in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit..
Amy Finn gave birth to her daughter Piper at just 33 weeks. Piper immediately was transferred to the NICU.
“She spent 21 days in the NICU here at Trinity Bettendorf. It is just something you can ever prepare yourself for,” Finn said. “You know, we had really no prior information about a premature baby when we were here for our tour of the hospital before you know, we were pregnant.”
Amy and her husband Jim stayed in Trinity’s hospitality room while their daughter was in the unit.
“We're two years removed from the NICU now, and we still talk to those nurses and neonatologists all the time, they really have truly become like family to us,” Finn said.
Piper left the unit after 21 days and is now two years old. But Finn wanted to find more ways to help families in her similar position. That’s when she discovered Project NICU.
“Project NICU is headquartered out of Cleveland, Ohio and they're fairly new," Finn said. "They're only four years old. But I got on the phone with their founder, Pam for ASCO, and we were talking about how I could get involved. Is there a way that I could bring some of these resources here to the Quad Cities?”
Now, Finn brings care packages to UnityPoint Health Trinity – Bettendorf. That’s where staff distributes the packages to families in the NICU.
“The NICU can be a really lonely place," Finn said. "You’re kind of all in your own space and you're really focused on your own child. You may not always get that connection while you're there. But you know, going home and needing that back connection afterward is really important.”