A first hug. Going home together. Introducing your baby to family and friends. Quietly adjusting to a new life together.
This is how many parents imagine the period after the birth.
But when a baby is born prematurely and admitted to the NICU, that first period suddenly looks completely different.
The nursery at home remains empty. Visits are postponed, and the days are filled with medical consultations, examinations, and waiting for news.
The love and joy are still there. But at the same time, also uncertainty, worry, and sometimes fear.
A baby is called premature or born too early when the birth takes place before 37 weeks of gestation.
Some premature babies require intensive medical care after birth. They are then admitted to the NICU, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
This is a specialized department for premature, seriously ill, or care-intensive newborn babies.
For parents, this often marks the beginning of a period for which they could not possibly have prepared.
Their days are suddenly determined by:
While they actually want only one thing: to be as close as possible to their baby.
In the NICU, parents cannot always decide for themselves when they may hold, feed, or care for their baby.
Everything happens at the baby’s pace and in consultation with the medical team.
Precisely because of this, small moments of contact become extra valuable.
Just holding a hand. Talking softly to your baby. Sitting next to the crib or being present during care.
When the medical condition permits, skin-to-skin contact may also be possible. This always takes place under the supervision of the treating care team.
These are moments when parents, amidst all the medical worries, can just be mom or dad.
An admission to the NICU can last days, weeks, or sometimes longer. When the hospital is far from home, commuting back and forth every day becomes particularly difficult.
At the Ronald McDonald House in Jette, families with a hospitalized child can stay close to their child.
The House features ten guest rooms with private bathrooms. Parents can stay together and, where applicable, also keep any brothers or sisters with them.
In addition, there are various common areas where families:
The House does not provide medical care. However, it does offer families a warm place to stay close to their child, so they don’t have to drive home all the time.
A new hospital wing is currently under construction at ZAS Campus Augustinus. It will house a Ronald McDonald Family Room on the same floor as the NICU.
This cozy space, measuring about 250 m², will be a place where parents can take a break without being too far from their baby.
The Living Room will not be an additional hospital room. Instead, it will be a place where families can take a break from the medical environment, while their baby remains close by at all times.
According to the current schedule, the new NICU unit and the Ronald McDonald Family Room are set to open in the third quarter of 2027.
At ZAS, approximately 800 babies are admitted to the NICU each year. On average, a baby stays there for about twenty days.
That means that every year, hundreds of families devote themselves wholeheartedly to caring for their babies for several weeks.
Help us create a quiet space next to the NICU
Today, the Ronald McDonald House in Jette helps families stay close to their hospitalized child.
With the new “Huiskamer” at ZAS Augustinus, we aim to create a warm, peaceful place within the hospital for parents of babies in the NICU, starting in 2027.
Projects like this are made possible by sponsors, donors, partners, and volunteers.
Will you help create a warm space for parents who don’t want to take their eyes off their baby in the NICU for even a moment?
