Dressing Your Preemie in the NICU

I got a message today from a former customer on a message board I belong to and it reminded me of why we make Preemie Tees. Some days the days are long or we would rather be doing other things and posts like this help me to keep going when the going is tough. I have included her post and my response plus a few other customer comments over the past two years. I think it is really important for everyone to realize that this small act of dressing preemies has far reaching effects - tiny acts produce great big miracles!

I also purchased some clothes for Mia while she was in the NICU from preemietees.com. I looked at alot of different places and I chose preemietees because I could customize her clothes--snaps or velcro; front or side opening, etc...--and there are a TON of fabrics to choose from. The different options were great because she could wear clothes with all the wires, IVs, etc.

I also liked the fact that they are made for micro-preemies. Mia didn't fit into the preemie sizes from Wal-Mart or Babies R'Us until about a month after she came home!

The clothes I bought at preemietees were the first things I purchased after she was born and it helped me feel like I was doing something normal--buying clothes and dressing my child in something that was from home-not the hospital! I felt like I was doing this extraordinary thing in the midst of feeling (at times) very helpless. It wasn't until I washed and took the clothes in and dressed her that I realized the impact it had on me. I would recommend (if the hospital and Drs. are OK with it) buying clothes for your LO. It seems so small and sometimes silly, but it really was empowering.
Kelly

Hi Kelly!

Thank you for that sweet and heartfelt endorsement! I found all the things you said to be identical to what we experienced with Elliot. My daughter Brooke was so scared of him. I knew she had to bond with him to save his life! After some praying and thinking it occurred to me that if she dressed him it might help. What happened after that was nothing short of a miracle. Just dressing him made him seem more like her baby and the walls came down and she fell in love with him. It literally changed everything. Last year I learned from one of the March of Dimes studies that they found that dressing a preemie in the NICU helped mothers to bond with their babies significantly. They are proving what you and I already know...it helps to dress a baby in the NICU! This is why we do what we do!

Thank you for sharing your story with me.

Debbie

Other Customer Comments:

I just wanted to tell you that we are very satisfied with the clothes we ordered for our daughter, Alexa. She was 1 lb 4oz at birth (26 weeker) so we have had a very difficult time finding clothing for her that was not super expensive. Your clothing was absolutely perfect for her. I have told all the other NICU Moms about yout site, so I am sure you will be hearing from them too! Thank you for giving preemie parents like us quality, affordable clothing for our tiny miracles!

Sincerely,

Heather P.

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I just wanted to tell you how wonderful I think you company is and I look forward to getting to the place where I can order something for my daughter Kariana to wear. She was born on October 13,2006 weighing 1 lb 7.7 oz & 12 3/4 inches born @ 25.4 weeks. I found your site looking for the same thing your daughter felt, some way to make this, the worst experience in my life, back into what it was intended to be, the most joyous! Thank you for your commitment and for sharing your story with other parents like me, I now have more hope. God Bless You.

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I wanted to see how your company was growing, so I \"googled\" to find you. I am thrilled with the progress you have made. I believe it is a great service to those of us who only want the best for our preemies - to be able to dress them, and treat them as \"normally\" as possible. It will help many moms out there be able to care for their child a bit sooner - make them feel like they can be the Mom, not the nurse. Way to go!

Kristin

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Debbie,thank you so much for the preemietees,they fit cooper really good and look so cute on him as well.The nurses in the nicu always comment on how easy they are to put on him especially because he likes to fight when he is being changed! It also makes it easier on me and his dad now we have have a little more"hands on time with him". again thank for doing what you do to make parents with preemie's in the nicu a little more tolerable.
Jamie,Jason and baby cooper!!

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Hi ... as a former NICU mom .. thanks for selling clothes that aren't so expensive that the average person cant afford them! I had such a hard time finding my daughter things ... and so wanted her to be in her clothes and not naked all the time because nothing would fit yet. If I have another preemie ... I will be back to shop!

Jennifer

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Hi Debbie,

I ordered several outfits from your website for my beautiful daughter, Madison. She is a 24 weeker and weighed 1 lb. 9 oz. at birth. Her nurses love her clothes and likes to tell me that she is the best dressed kid in the NICU.

Thank you for providing clothing for these tiny ones… I was very distraught to find that the preemie clothing available in stores was way too big. By chance I found your website…Being able to dress my child in cute clothing really does make me feel a little bit more like a "real Mom" to her. I hope you will continue to provide clothing options for these little sweethearts.

Sincerely,

Casey

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These are just a few of the hundreds of comments I get from parents! I hope you enjoy them. If you have ordered Preemie Tees feel free to add any comments of your own!