For most parents, welcoming a new baby comes with excitement, anticipation and precious time spent bonding as a family. But for families whose babies require care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), those first days and weeks can look very different.
During a recent National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers (NCIT) webinar hosted in partnership with the Alliance for Early Success and A Better Balance, advocates, parents and policy experts came together to discuss the growing movement for paid NICU leave policies and the real-life experiences driving the work forward. While NICU leave remains a relatively new policy area, the stories shared during the conversation made one thing clear: families should not have to choose between being present for their hospitalized newborn and keeping their job.
Behind Every Policy Is a Family’s Story
Jennifer Stout of Voices for Utah Children shared a powerful testimony rooted in her own experience when her husband abandoned the family. After her son was born prematurely and spent five weeks in the NICU, Stout found herself navigating the emotional and financial realities that many parents face during a medical crisis. She reflected on how access to paid leave gave her the opportunity to remain present for her son during a critical period in his life, in fact, she felt like it saved her life and her baby’s life. Her story also highlighted an important lesson for advocates: data matters, but personal stories can move hearts and minds in ways statistics alone cannot.
“Storytelling and data together are super powerful,” Stout shared during the webinar.
For policymakers considering NICU leave legislation, stories like hers help put a human face on the issue and demonstrate why families need additional support during some of the most challenging moments of parenthood.
A Journey No Parent Expects
Keira Sorrells, Chief Executive Officer of the NICU Parent Network, shared her experience of unexpectedly delivering triplets at just 25 weeks after developing severe preeclampsia. What began as a routine prenatal appointment quickly became a life-altering medical emergency.
Doctors warned Sorrells that her babies faced significant challenges and uncertain outcomes. The months that followed were filled with both joy and heartbreak. While two of her children survived and are now thriving college graduates, one of her triplets died shortly after their first birthday at just 14 months. Her experience reflects both the resilience of NICU families and the profound losses some families endure along the way. Sorrells noted that approximately one in 10 babies in the United States spends time in a NICU each year, underscoring how many families could benefit from policies specifically designed to support them during hospitalization.
Building Policies That Reflect Reality
While personal stories anchored the conversation, advocates also discussed how policy solutions are beginning to evolve. Gabrielle Wynn, a staff attorney with A Better Balance, shared insights from efforts to advance and implement NICU leave policies, including Colorado’s landmark expansion of paid family and medical leave protections for parents with infants receiving intensive medical care. Traditional parental leave policies often begin immediately after birth. For parents with babies in the NICU, however, much of that leave can be consumed while their child remains hospitalized, leaving little or no time available once the baby finally comes home. NICU leave policies recognize that reality and provide additional time for parents to care for and bond with their children after discharge. Advocates on the webinar emphasized that NICU leave is not simply about time away from work. It is about helping families remain present during medical crises, participate in care decisions, support infant development and reduce financial stress during an already overwhelming period.
Why This Conversation Matters
The webinar reinforced an important truth: behind every NICU stay is a family whose life has been unexpectedly altered. Parents are often juggling medical uncertainty, emotional exhaustion, employment concerns and financial pressures all at once. For many, paid leave can mean the difference between being at a hospital bedside and returning to work before they are ready. As more states explore NICU leave policies, advocates hope these stories will continue to drive awareness and action. The experiences shared by Stout, Sorrells and others serve as a reminder that supporting infants also means supporting the families caring for them.
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The NCIT webinar offers additional insights from parents, advocates and policy experts working to advance NICU leave protections across the country. We encourage readers to watch the full recording to hear these powerful stories firsthand and learn more about the growing movement to support families with infants in intensive care.
Together, we can help ensure that when families face one of life’s most difficult beginnings, they have the time and support they need to be there for their babies.
Laura Coleman is the Advocacy Media Relations Manager for Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart Association, and the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers (NCIT). She leads media strategy across campaigns nationwide and helps equip Voices for Healthy Kids grantees and NCIT members with the skills they need to build strong, strategic relationships with reporters to advance public policy. Laura holds an M.S. in Strategic Communication from Louisiana State University, a B.S. in Mass Communication from Jackson State University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College. Off the clock, she’s with family, friends, and her fur baby, Eve.
