In with the new

Mom, Giselle, with baby Iann in a Giraffe bed

An opportunity to help our NICU families

“I have always felt extremely grateful for the resources we have in our NICU at Cook Children’s for each and every patient. Having the ability to purchase new beds for our patients ensures we continue to have the state-of-the-art equipment for each patient we are privileged to care for.” – Brittany McLaughlin MSN, RNC-NIC, NICU director

When our expanded neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) opened in 2012, each of the 104 private rooms were equipped with a Giraffe bed. Some were brand new, while others were already up to 15 years old. Thousands of fragile babies have slept, grown and healed in these beds. They are where parents watch their babies, hold their baby’s hands and tickle their tiny feet.

Though having a newborn in the NICU is never what a parent wants, these beds make the experience a little better by creating an ideal environment for premature babies that is both medically safe and family-focused. The design of the Giraffe beds provides parents comfortable, close access to their babies while giving caregivers the access and technology they need to provide routine and emergent care. Today, these beds are at or near the end of their life cycle and, by the end of 2023, the parts for these machines will no longer be manufactured. It’s time for us to replace these beds with the latest, most state-of-the-art model: the GE Giraffe Incubator Carestation.

We are inviting the community to help us fund this need. Gifts can be made in honor of a NICU graduate in your life or in support of all of the babies and families that will call our NICU home, whether that is for just a few days or for several months. Your generosity will help enhance the NICU experience for thousands more families, and give them hope for the future.