What to take to new mum with preemie in hospital?

[BumpPower]

My neighbour and I have the same due date but she has just had her little boy 8 weeks early. I'm going to the hospital tomorrow for a scan and have arranged to meet her for a coffee if she is around (I know from when DC1 was in Nicu they have quiet times when they kick parents out and wait aimlessly desperate to go back and stare at your baby).
Question is what do I bring her? She's my neighbour but we only really started talking a few months ago so I don't know her well. If I was seeing her at home with new baby I would bring a bag of M&S food and nice biccies rather than a baby gro as I know that would make life easier. What will help her at the mo? She is no longer in hospital and I'm not sure how long her son be in. Any good ideas?

Hand cream? She'll be having to wash her hands a lot in NICU and that can really dry out the skin.

Food is still a good idea, as she's not likely to feel much like cooking if she's in hospital all day visiting her baby. Anything that needs refrigeration probably won't be practical if you're meeting in the hospital, but nice biccies would probably still go down well.

Hand cream & snacks like cereal bars, maybe some sachets of nice coffee as well if you can find some

My little one was 9 weeks early, my sister would bring us food every week which was great but if you want to bring something for the baby Asda do a preemie range of vests/babygros which all fasten up completely with poppers which are perfect for babes with tubes/lines going in. Hope that helps x

Hand cream would be a fantastic thing to take as already mentioned! Something good to read or healthy snacks that she can take if she's spending a lot of time at the hospital, or some nice ready meals that she can either microwave there or have when she gets home. Or maybe a notebook so that she can write down what's happening. I would have been absolutely thrilled if any of my friends had offered to visit, someone to have a coffee with would really have brightened my day, so don't underestimate the power of just being there for her

Baby clothes can be really useful - when my ds was born we didn't have anything small enough. Dh ran out and got some big value packs from Mothercare but when someone gave me a really pretty extra tiny baby grow, I cried! I'd been feeling like such a crap mother for not having any pretty clothes for my baby and really sad that all the pictures would be of him in the really ugly bright yellow ones my dh had bought - not flattering on a little mite with jaundice!!

When my son was in SCBU we weren't allowed to dress him in our clothes, they provided clothes that had been specially sterilised. Unless you know she can definitely bring in her own clothes, food or something pampery might be better. But I think just being there is important, I found it to be a very isolating time.

Thank you wise ladies! I went with posh biccies and hand cream. She fell on the hand cream showing her red raw hands and was v grateful!

Fantastic- so glad you got to catch up with her. She will have really appreciated your visit I'm sure.