NICU Nurses Create Book Connecting Siblings to Sick Babies

When a baby spends weeks or months in intensive care, there's another group of children quietly struggling at home: the siblings wondering where mom and dad keep going and when their new brother or sister will finally arrive.

Four nurses at Connecticut Children's Hospital saw this pain up close and decided to do something about it. They spent years developing "A Message to My Sibling," a coloring book designed to help young children understand the NICU and stay emotionally connected to babies they can't always visit.

The nurses witnessed countless families making difficult trips back and forth to the hospital, including one family who traveled long distances to see baby Anna, born at just 31 weeks weighing only 2 pounds, 13 ounces. Young siblings at home struggled to understand why their parents were suddenly absent so much and why the new baby couldn't just come home.

Working with illustrator Cheri Lenhow, the nurses created a book that introduces children to the NICU environment without frightening them. It includes gentle explanations of medical equipment, coloring pages, and most importantly, spaces where siblings can write messages and draw pictures for their hospitalized brother or sister.

"It was really about introducing these things without scaring them, because it can be scary to see this equipment," Lenhow explained. The pages children create can be displayed on the walls of the NICU room, serving as colorful reminders that a loving family is waiting at home.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story beautiful is how it addresses an overlooked aspect of medical care. Nurse Kelsey MarcAurele put it perfectly: "NICU admission doesn't just affect the baby; it affects the entire family: siblings, parents, grandparents, everyone feels that."

The book doesn't just explain medical equipment. It gives young children a way to participate in their sibling's journey, to feel included rather than left behind during a confusing and scary time.

These nurses turned their daily observations into something tangible that families can hold onto during one of life's most challenging chapters.

Now families across Connecticut have a simple tool to help brothers and sisters feel understood, included, and connected while their newest family member grows stronger each day.