Muffled cries from new parents are barely audible over the loud, beeping noises that come from a sea of lifesaving machines. In normal situations, these repetitive sounds may be a source of frustration, but in this case, it’s a reassuring sign that a premature baby is still alive and fighting. This is life in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Designed with utmost precision, these carefully controlled environments are designed to mimic a mother’s womb, but with life-support and monitoring technology that is staffed by some of the most highly trained nurses in their field. While overwhelming to many, the layout and features of a NICU are all created to promote healing and development for fragile newborns, all of whom are born well before their due date and often with myriad medical hurdles to clear.
But what about the parents who find themselves thrust into a birth story that never mirrored their fairytale expectations? Who and what resources are available to provide critical support to those terrified families who spend countless hours worrying and waiting for their babies to become healthy enough to come home?
These inspiring families are the impetus behind “Little Miracle Baskets.” Created by Alpharetta resident Brooke Bowman (age 18), this volunteer outreach initiative has helped to provide care kits to nearly 125 families who find themselves watching, waiting and worrying about their preemies. Hours spent in the NICU bleed into days, and days sometimes bleed into months while new parents anxiously await updates from medical staff about the health progress of their little miracles.
An aspiring NICU nurse, Brooke spent much of her junior year of high school visiting and shadowing NICU nurses at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as multiple campuses for Northside and Emory Hospitals. Inspired and impressed by the medical resources available to help preemies and micro-preemies and reassured by the level of competence and compassion demonstrated by NICU nurses, Brooke’s attention shifted to one group who clearly needed and deserved a little extra TLC…the families who now called a NICU their home.
“Every time I would visit a hospital and meet a family whose preemie was fighting to get healthy, I was incredibly moved. Their anxiety was real and completely understandable. Long runways of empty time allow scary and worrisome thoughts to creep into parents’ minds. They felt worried and powerless. When I hugged them, I felt their pain. I knew I wanted to help, and I set out to do just that.”
And, so, Little Miracle Baskets was born. In January 2025, Brooke made her vision a reality, creating a brand-specific logo, a fundraising page and talking points to share her mission. With the help of a friend from her church group, Brooke raised more than $4,000 from generous donors (many of whom are also Alpharetta residents) and used this money to purchase supplies to fill care kits.
“I spoke with various NICU nurses and families to identify what types of items would be most supportive during this challenging time. Answers varied by hospital, so we tailored the contents of each basket to meet the requests of each hospital.”
Some kits contained crossword puzzles or books, others had coloring books and crayons for adults and children, inspirational quotes, snacks, hand-knit preemie caps and empty journals that encouraged moms and dads to articulate their feelings in writing.
“It meant so much to have a chance to meet some of the families in person. Some deliveries were met with tears; others, with smiles, but everyone expressed tremendous gratitude because the baskets gave them something positive to focus upon in a very stressful time.”
IG: @littlemiraclebaskets
I spoke with various NICU nurses and families to identify what types of items would be most supportive during this challenging time.