After a 160-Day NICU Stay, This BHAM Mom Set Out to Make Sure Families Feel Seen
September is NICU Awareness Month. Meet Catherine Barber, a Birmingham woman and former NICU mom who founded Holcomb Ministries, a nonprofit that supports families facing NICU journeys of their own. Image: Catherine Barber
In 2020, a pregnant Catherine Barber and her family had just moved back to her hometown of Birmingham when she went into spontaneous labor with her second child at just 22 weeks. Doctors gave the baby a slim 6% chance of surviving the delivery — but the little girl was a fighter! After a successful birth, followed by a six-month NICU stay, Catherine realized that her family’s experience was just one of countless life-changing stories within the NICU walls. That realization led the mom of two to create Holcomb Ministries to support families like hers as they navigate their own NICU journeys.
Your daughter, Emma, was born at just over 22 weeks. What can you tell us about how she came into the world?
We had just moved back to Birmingham and had only lived here for about three months when I spontaneously delivered Emma at 22 weeks and three days. The doctors gave us a 6% chance of her survival. When I delivered her, she, by the grace of God, let out a cry, and the doctors were able to intubate her and take her to the NICU.
Those moments after delivery were in slow motion for us as a family. As I reflect on those memories, it’s just miracle after miracle: at just over one pound, she let out a cry at delivery; she was able to be intubated; she made it into the isolette; she made it to the NICU across the hospital; she made it through that first night; she made it to the next day. And just every hour and every minute was such a gift.
And we then embarked on this journey of the NICU, and we didn’t know how long we were going to be there, but we were praying for it to be months and months because that would mean that we would get to bring our daughter home.
It ended up being a six-month, 160-day NICU journey.
Having a baby in the NICU during a pandemic must have been doubly challenging. How did you manage day-to-day?
Yes, Emma was born in February of 2020. Our world shut down, and then the entire world shut down. Grandparents were able to meet her right after delivery, but once restrictions were set, we were not allowed any visitors. There was a period of 38 days when we were reduced to one caregiver, and my husband was not allowed to see her during that time.
In those days, I was physically alone at her bedside, but I wasn’t truly alone. The Lord — He was so present in every single moment. And the NICU team — the nurses and the doctors — those nurses became like family to me as they cheered her on with me each day.
With visitors unable to come to the hospital, how did your friends and family find ways to support you from afar?
Our community of friends and family was so generous, finding intentional and creative ways to love us in this chronic hospital season. I started making this list on my phone of ways other people were serving us. I saw so many families around us in need, and I wanted to remember ways we could help others in the future.
What motivated you to help others during a time when you must have been so overwhelmed?
It really felt like this fountain inside of me that I could not suppress. We were discharged — we got to go home. But every single day, I knew there were families that were still there. Giving back was a huge part of, and still is, the early years of our healing and trauma processing. It is such a gift to serve other NICU families.
After you brought Emma home, you started the project that would eventually become Holcomb Ministries. How did it begin?
We were looking for a way to give back to the NICU that holiday season after Emma came home, but we were surprised to find that we couldn’t find a nonprofit we could serve in the ways we envisioned. So, we ended up rallying our community around us. We really didn’t have a plan at first. It was an organic call to action of, “Who wants to join us? We want to give back.”
That Christmas, we raised $5,568 from so many friends and family who just wanted to help. We made family gift bags and gave them to the St. Vincent’s and UAB NICUs. Afterward, we realized that we had to do this again every year.
How did you go from holiday gift bags to becoming a full-blown nonprofit?
Each year, [the outreach] grew and grew. We then hit a crossroads. People wanted to give more and participate more, but we needed a vision and structure for the people who didn’t know us. We knew we needed to spell out clearly who we were, who we wanted to serve, and why.
Holcomb means “deep valley.” Holcomb Ministries was created to meet families in the midst of their own deep valleys and remind them that they are not alone. We want to come alongside them and help moms, dads, and caregivers navigate their NICU journey.
Fast forward several years, and Holcomb Ministries continues to grow and serve. What does it look like today?
We serve between 40 and 50 NICU families weekly, providing ongoing support across the country. We host Nourish the NICU meals onsite at hospitals to provide free meals since parents often do not receive a meal ticket during their long hospital days.
We provide financial assistance in various capacities, including reimbursing parking for families, gifting gas gift cards to families commuting to visit their babies, providing housing assistance for families from out of town, and addressing other financial stressors that come with a NICU stay. We can’t cover every financial need, but we try to support and connect families with other organizations and resources, too.
We can provide the therapy equipment needed after discharge, and we have partnered with Libby’s Friends, another wonderful nonprofit, to fill those needs.
Holcomb Ministries also provides free sessions for families to process birth trauma or the mental load and stressors from their NICU experience with wonderful, experienced counselors. We have a blog on our website with bereavement resources and encouragement for caregivers, plus a whole section on how to love a friend or family member walking through a NICU stay.
And then we have our “Blessing Bag” part of our ministry — that’s how it all started. These gift bags include books and practical, intentional items for parents or caregivers spending a lot of time in a hospital. We have monthly volunteer groups from businesses, churches, cheerleading squads, and colleges who help stuff and deliver the bags.
How do you find families to support?
Many of the families that we have served now refer families to us. We have strong relationships with social workers and NICU teams, who refer families to us as well. We’ve now served families across 21 states! Also, just mom-to-mom. The mom chain is so strong, and we have constant referrals just from word of mouth.
How can someone learn more about Holcomb Ministries and get involved?
We’d love to talk with anyone who wants to learn more or get involved. They can reach out via our website or social media!
LIGHTING ROUND!
Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? “Build into your life unhurried quiet.” — Dane Ortlund
The book you reach for again and again? Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman
Favorite spot to take an out-of-town friend here in Birmingham? The Birmingham Botanical Gardens!
Your must-have product or “little happy” treat? Sons Donuts and Cala Coffee!
One thing people might be surprised to learn about you. I love flowers and doing yard work, but I am terrible at keeping houseplants alive!
This article contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.
**********
Birmingham women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them over at our FACES archives!
Erin Slay Wilson
Erin Slay Wilson is the Market Leader for StyleBlueprint Birmingham. She lives in the Crestwood neighborhood with her family and their golden retriever, Butter. When Erin isn't writing and building relationships within the community, she loves to read, go on walks around the city, garden, and scope out treasures at local antique malls.
