Providing a Respite for Families

of Premature Babies

Every family looks forward to the birth of a healthy newborn.  So when a premature birth occurs it can be a traumatic event, often culminating in a nerve wracking and overwhelming ordeal for parents.  Denver is fortunate to have several hospitals where these babies can receive the intensive medical services that they need.  But, with medical care being provided for their child, families are forced to find temporary housing near the hospital.

The Ronald McDonald House is just that place for these anxious and scared parents.  They come from far away, separated from their own homes,  families and familiar support systems while dealing with an infant that may only weigh one or two pounds and face an uncertain future.

When a baby is born too soon outside of Denver, a local community hospital may not have the medical personnel or equipment to handle these complicated and fragile babies.  So, the babies are typically transported to the nearest Level III Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Denver area.

Learning all about the NICU is often the first step in preemie parenting.  The first time parents visit their baby in the NICU it feels like a visit to an alien planet.  The sights, sounds, and smells are unfamiliar and the doors are locked and guarded. It may even seem like the people inside are speaking a different language and families often feel like they are on a roller coaster of ups and downs. 

At the Ronald McDonald House, families find staff and volunteers who work to make this traumatic event a little bit easier.  Moms and dads are encouraged to rest and take care of themselves.  They can easily go back and forth to the hospital and be there for "care times."  They are told about House amenities, including a schedule of meals that are provided, and offered any other support they might need.  As the baby's condition improves they may even want to take in an event with donated tickets provided to the House.

One family shared the following story with us:

"We were transferred to Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital/Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children from Wyoming one day after having a C-Section.  Needless to say-between emotions, hormones, post-op pain my life was a blur.  The pace of the NICU was almost more than I could take; the wires, tubes, noises, monitors, beeping and so many little babies and so many unspoken fears.   After the initial shock had subsided and we had been welcomed at the Denver Ronald McDonald House, I knew I had a place that would help us get through this crisis in our lives.  By the end of the third day, we came to depend on the House as sanctuary.  Home cooked meals, a place to do laundry, friendly faces, no alarms sounding, a warm bath, some sleep and we were ready to face another day.  Time at the House allowed us to shed the stress of our last session in the NICU and recharge for the next one.  It was our much-needed retreat, giving us some sense of normalcy during a chaotic time.  I'm sorry I never got a chance to personally thank each volunteer who served us during our stay at the House.  What I can say now is that it made a monumental difference to new parents who were living in a whirlwind of uncertainty.  And so this quiet, gentle support meant more than words can say.

Is the Ronald McDonald House a practical solution?  Yes.  But it is so much more than a bedroom near the hospital.  The walls make it a house, but it's the people who make it a home away from home-with heart."