WeeCare was founded by mothers and grandmothers of premature babies. The idea for WeeCare and the services we provide evolved from our combined personal NICU experiences.
While we had lots of invaluable support from family and friends, many well meaning people simply did not know enough about having a premature child in the NICU; this proved to be a challenge in itself.
(We all laugh about how many people asked us, “So how much weight does she need to gain before she comes home?” There was no way they could know that gaining weight is usually a relatively small concern when a baby first starts their NICU journey. We have all been tempted to answer, “Well as soon as she is breathing on her own, can hold her own body temperature and can digest food we will let you know how much she weighs.”)
The one big hole in all of our experiences was a knowledgeable support network that could relate to our status as observant Jews.
Sure, the hospital caseworkers and secular support groups were helpful. But there were many issues that cropped up which could only be understood by fellow Jews.
Questions arose about spending Shabbos both in the hospital, and at home. There were questions about medical trials and the risks of certain techniques. We all worried about the welfare of our other children and how our unique school system would help our children deal with this challenge.
We wondered about our tight-knit communities and what services they would be able to help us with. Yet every organization seemed to have a mission which did not include helping the parents of children in the NICU. We had our fair share of Rabbis, teachers and social workers who knew nothing about the NICU and what we and our families were going through.
The most difficult challenges by far, were the ones which tested our faith. Even when we attempted to find answers in the places we generally turned to for inspiration, we were often disappointed, as there is simply so little information out there about the unique challenges of a premature child.
Over the course of our children’s NICU Journeys most of us managed to get in touch with one or two other families who were in a similar situation. We tried to share information and advice as best we could, but it simply was not enough.
And so WeeCare was born.
We founded WeeCare to provide the assistance we so desperately needed during our children’s NICU stays. We are here to provide support during difficult times, by helping with meals and transport to and from hospitals, among other things. We created this site with some helpful medical information, inspiration and a forum for those who need help, advice and support.
We have established a hotline so that we could connect people to others who have had similar experiences. We can also recommend competent social workers to help you through the Journeys. Our hotline will also allow us to offer many other helpful services.
We are a new and growing organization and we hope to be able to add more services to our list as we establish ourselves.
We urge you to get in touch with us to find out if we can help you in any way along your Preemie Journey.
We hope you take your time in the NICU day by day, relish the small victories, take care of yourself, and of course cherish your child.
