When Your Baby Goes to the NICU: Emily Rosen’s Story and the Book She Wrote to Help Families
Having a baby in the NICU is not something you plan for.
It changes everything in a moment.
I know because I’ve been there.
When my second was born, we spent six nights in the NICU.
I will never forget the stress of trying to recover my body while living in the hospital, and the ripple effect it had on my family at home.
That’s why I was so moved by my conversation with author Emily Rosen.
Her son Max spent 16 days in the NICU.
She turned that story into a children’s book called Waiting for Max—a resource to help siblings, cousins, and friends understand what’s happening when a baby needs extra care before coming home.
This post shares Emily’s story, what NICU life actually looks like, and why this book matters.
What Happens When Plans Change
Emily’s pregnancy seemed normal until her water broke six weeks early.
After a long labor, Max was born.
She held him for just 30 seconds before he was taken to the NICU.
Max needed help growing and feeding.
There were moments of concern when his heart rate spiked with SVT.
He stayed for 16 days.
Emily remembers the shock of leaving the hospital without her baby.
That heartbreak doesn’t disappear when discharge papers are signed.
The NICU stays with you.
A “Normal” NICU Day
Most parents have no idea what NICU life is like until they live it.
Emily shared what her days looked like:
Multiple visits a day. She and her husband came for feeding times.
Hand-washing rituals. Scrubbing so often that their hands cracked.
Constant check-ins. Nurses on shifts, doctors doing rounds, social workers stopping by.
Endless beeping. Machines, monitors, alarms.
Learning care. Feeding positions, bathing, skin-to-skin when allowed.
It feels like another planet.
And it’s exhausting.
How Friends Can Actually Help
Many people don’t know what to say or do. Emily and I both agree—food is love in the NICU.
Here are practical ways to help:
Send a $10 Venmo for coffee and a bagel.
Drop off freezable meals.
Offer to wash pump parts or do laundry.
Check in with: “How are you today?” (Not: “When is baby coming home?”)
You can’t take away the pain.
But you can make life easier.
Why Waiting for Max Matters
While Max was in the NICU, Emily and her husband read picture books to him every day.
It was their way of feeling like “normal” parents.
But Emily noticed something missing.
There were no children’s books about babies in the NICU.
Nothing to help siblings or cousins understand why the baby wasn’t home yet.
So she wrote one.
In Waiting for Max, an older sister learns about NICU life.
She imagines her brother flying home in a spaceship (the isolette) or riding a zip line (the feeding tube).
It’s creative, hopeful, and honest.
This book gives kids a way to process confusing experiences without fear.
It also gives parents a tool for conversations when they already feel stretched thin.
A Message of Hope
Emily wanted to leave one message for moms sitting in those stiff NICU chairs:
“You’re not alone.
It feels endless, but every day is progress.
Take breaks. Get outside for five minutes of sun.
Don’t be hard on yourself.
Your baby is in the best care, and you are doing enough.”
Where to Find the Book
Waiting for Max releases October 21 and is available for preorder now.
You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local bookstore, or directly through The Collective Book Studio.
Emily is sharing more of her journey on Instagram @EmilyRosenCreative and TikTok @Emily.Rosen.Creative.
Final Thoughts
One in ten babies spend time in the NICU.
That’s 350,000 families every year in the U.S. alone.
Most of us know someone who has lived this story.
If you’re in it now—you’re not alone.
If you love someone in it—your support matters more than you realize.
And if you’re looking for a way to help children understand, Waiting for Max is a beautiful place to start.
Listen to the full conversation with Emily Rosen on the Better Relationships After Baby podcast
Preorder Waiting for Max here
