The Team Abby Foundation (www.teamabby.com) was founded by Carrie Higgins, whose daughter spent the first two months of her life in the NICU at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. The Team Abby mission is to provide comfort and support for other families facing extended ICN (Intensive Care Nursery) stays at Jefferson.  They are donating 100 Care Bags to Jefferson Hospital to families who are “facing the unknowns of NICU life.”  We are so glad to have connected with Carrie and to help her spread the word about Team Abby!  Here is Carrie’s story:

Like many expectant moms, I spent my last few weeks of pregnancy running around buying last minute items, finishing the nursery, washing newborn baby clothes, and packing my hospital bag {boy, I wish I’d known about Premier Baby Concierge back then!}   I thought I was ready.  However, my routine induction became an emergency c-section and my sweet baby girl ended up spending the next 50 days in the NICU.  Sitting by her hospital crib, I knew I had to do something for other long-term NICU families who suddenly found themselves in that situation– heartbroken, scared, and without basic comfort items to help ease the difficulty of NICU life for parents that often never expected to be there.

That’s the moment the Team Abby Foundation was born, named both for my daughter and the army of friends and family who surrounded us with love and support.  Our goal is to donate 100 Care Bags each year to the Jefferson Hospital Intensive Care Nursery filled with items to provide comfort and care to long-term NICU families.  These bags are filled with basic necessities such as hand sanitizer and tissues as well as comfort items like a reusable water bottle, blankets for swaddling, and books to read to the babies.  We hope to add gift cards to local eateries and parking passes as well, since we spent over $2000 on this aspect of NICU life while Abby was there.  That’s quite a burden for most families.

Team Abby is extremely thankful to have gotten donations from friends, prior NICU families, and most recently a hundred beautiful muslin swaddling blankets from Aden + Anais. These gifts allow us to comfort these ill babies and their heartbroken families, and we are thrilled to be packing our first round of bags for delivery in the next few weeks.  As for Ms. Abby, the girl who was not supposed to make it past her first week of life, she’ll be there too– running around and chatting away like the normal two-year-old that she is.  And for that, we are beyond grateful!

If you would like additional information about Team Abby, hear more about Abby’s story, and/or donate to help make these bags possible please visit our site at www.teamabby.com. Thank you, Shannon, for posting about Team Abby and for helping arrange the amazing donation of the Aden + Anais swaddle blankets!

~ Carrie Higgins, Team Abby Foundation

Abby today, healthy and strong!