Pedaling for Preemies - Ride for Noah and the Brigham Year 5

Noah’s turning 5 and we are excited to plan our annual charity fundraising ride - Pedaling for Preemies - Ride for Noah and the Brigham - to benefit Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The ride will take place on Saturday, August 5th in Bedford, MA at 8:00am. (Ride distance TBD)

We have set a fundraising goal of $10,000. Please consider donating or joining our team and raising money with us!

Noah’s Story

Noah was born at 26 weeks on August 9, 2018 weighing 1.5lbs. He spent 4 months in the NICU at the Brigham and we are grateful to his doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and many other dedicated staff for saving his life and the amazing care he received while there and after through the NICU Follow Up Clinic. Noah is finishing his second year of pre-school, where he has made lots of friends and is even getting ready to graduate from Speech Therapy! He continues to be very active and keeps us all on our toes chasing him around!

About Brigham and Women’s NICU

BWH has a state-of-the-art Level III NICU, the largest high-risk delivery service in New England, and provides expert newborn care for more than 3,000 premature and seriously ill babies and their families each year.

The medical team includes resident physicians, physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners, fellows (pediatricians training to become specialists in newborn medicine) and attending neonatologists who are dedicated to providing the very best and most advanced care possible to newborns with critical and unique health challenges. In addition to the medical team, the group is composed of respiratory therapists, social workers, speech and language specialists, chaplains, lactation consultants, NICU family support specialists, nutritionists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and unit coordinators.

Each baby is assigned to a team designed to meet his or her specific needs. The BWH NICU team practices family-centered care and strongly encourages parents to participate in the care of their infant. NICU team members provide parents with daily updates and are available to meet as a multidisciplinary team with families for more extended discussions regarding their baby’s progress.

Did you know?

$5 – A book for the NICU book cart (Reading at the bedside allows parents the opportunity to bond with their baby. Newborns can recognize and are comforted by the sound of their parents' voices and new research suggests this might enhance brain development.)
$10 - A cooler bag for mothers to transport their pumped breastmilk while separated from their baby. (This bag was very useful going back and forth to the hospital bringing pumped breastmilk. It was even useful when I went back to work!)
$20 - a pair of charm necklaces made of the baby’s newborn footprints (I made one with Noah’s footprints and wore it every day I was in the NICU with him.)
$25 - A gas gift card to provide transportation to parents traveling back and forth from the NICU (We drove 40 miles a day every day to be with Noah. Some parents drive in from another state. Gas cards help!)
$50 – Two sleep sacks for the babies in the NICU (Once babies are in the GDU, they are able to come out of their swaddle blankets and into a cozy sleep sack. Noah loved (and still does) his HALO sacks)
$100 – A car bed to allow for safe travel/transport home (Many babies leave the NICU too small for a traditional car seat, so they need a car bed for transport. They do not rent these out - they must be purchased.)
$189 – Car seat (4lb) and stroller (Many families are in situations where they are unable to provide a car seat or stroller for their baby so the NICU helps provide if needed.)
$300 – Parent Date Night Dinner (The NICU hosts a date night for parents in their family lounge. Many parents are visiting their babies all day or night and don't have time to make a meal for themselves. This "night out" allows the parents to spend time with other parents going through a similar situation.)