Our Story

Little Lionheart Co. was founded in 2023 by me, Kaitlin, a preemie mama who is passionate about helping NICU families find joy and small comforts in what can be an otherwise complicated and heart-wrenching welcome for their little ones.

When my son Leo was born at just 29 weeks weighing 3lbs 1oz, it was both the best and worst day of my life. In total, we spent 50 days in the NICU. While there were pockets of joy, I spent many days overcome with feelings of grief and loss of the experience I thought both I and my son deserved. I felt guilty that my body had failed my child. I felt isolated and devastated each night when I had to leave my baby at the hospital. I just couldn’t help it, even if logic told me there was nothing I could have done differently to change the outcome. Even though I knew he was in the best hands possible with the incredible team at the NICU, my fear and grief too often outweighed the joy that I had hoped would come with the birth of my first child.

Little by little and day by day, my husband and I watched our tiny boy through the porthole of his isolette as he toiled and triumphed over oxygen support, feeding tubes, and IVs made for the most minuscule of veins. We had good days and we had bad days, but one thing that consistently helped us as we spent week after week under the sterile, fluorescent lights of the hospital, (aside from our absolutely brilliant boy), was the outpouring of love and support we received from our friends and family, near and far. We were overwhelmed with gratitude for our village, who came out in droves to support us, even though they often didn’t know what to say or how to help. Their love and effort to be there for us were enough.

There was joy in the hand-knit blanket volunteers had left to cover the isolette from the piercing lights of the hospital. There was joy in the small plush lion that made the room feel more like our nursery at home. There was joy in the lip balm and hand lotion left at the front desk by friends. There was joy in finally being able to dress our baby in the tiniest preemie-sized onesie my mom had bought in the hospital gift shop. They were small gifts, the simplest of gestures, but they meant the world to us. They helped us feel a glimmer of the normalcy we craved, and find the joy we so desperately needed to share with our son.

Now, nearly six years since he was finally ushered out of those thick double doors of the NICU and into the fresh mountain air of the outside world, Leo is a vibrant, healthy, gregarious little guy who certainly lives up to his fierce and powerful name. One day, I hope he truly understands how remarkable he is and always has been.

As time goes on since our NICU journey, I have been contacted over and over again by friends, colleagues, and even strangers who have found themselves in the unfamiliar territory of supporting a family going through an unexpected NICU arrival. I’ve put together dozens of suggested gift lists, helped to draft notes that were both celebratory and sensitive, and have even done some personal shopping filling up Amazon carts with hospital-friendly items to be shipped off to parents and caretakers. I love helping others show their support for the NICU families in their lives. And now, I am thrilled to be able to share Little Lionheart with you all.

With Love & Gratitude,
Kaitlin