Perinatal · NICU
NICU Family Coping Worksheet
Marathon, not sprint
The NICU is an extended trauma exposure — long hours, medical uncertainty, disrupted bonding, siblings at home, an unfinished postpartum. This sheet organizes coping while you're still in it.
Today's information I actually need
One question for the care team today; who's asking it
Bonding today, in whatever form is possible
- Skin-to-skin (if cleared)
- Voice at the isolette
- Touch, if allowed
- Photos, journal, a note to the baby
- One thing that was mine to do today
My own body today
What I ate; when I slept; what I need in the next 24 hours
What I want said to me — and what I don't
Marathon, not sprint
NICU stays require pacing. Days you drop the ball on something are not evidence of failure — they're evidence you're in a NICU stay.