Browsing all posts in "Emotional Impact".

When One Twin Goes Home First

January 27, 2009 was the day that we had been anticipating for ten long weeks.  One of our babies was finally coming home!  We were so excited.  I had finally had my baby shower that weekend and had spent all day Monday organizing the nursery and putting the pack and play together for Lindsay’s homecoming. [...]

Support Groups

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently returned to visit the NICU where my preemie lived for over three months.  During my visit I got in contact again with the Parent to Parent organization they had there to provide support for all of the parents in the unit.  It was brought to my [...]

The Many Perks of Having a Preemie

In the past two years, I have realized that having a child prematurely (or in our case, extremely prematurely) actually has some advantages. We don’t fear “normal” childhood emergencies (e.g. broken arm or stitches) like other parents do.  Let’s face it—after dealing with Intraventricular Hemmorhage, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Respiratory Distress, Retinopathy of Prematurity, and/or Patent Ductus [...]

My Visit to the NICU

I brought my preemie to visit the NICU and her primary nurse this week.  We got to see one of the OTs and another nurse I knew as well, and it was quite an experience for me. This is not the first time I’ve returned to visit the NICU.  I’ve been back twice before with [...]

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers who have endured and sacrificed so much for your tiny preemie babies during their difficult first months of life (and beyond, of course).  It takes special dedication and love to care for a preemie, and many of you mothers put your own lives at risk just to get [...]

National Day of Prayer

The President has proclaimed today, May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer.  The following is one section of his proclamation: “Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly [...]

Leaving Without Your Preemie

Almost every preemie parent has to experience going home without their baby.  Some parents have to leave their baby in the care of the NICU for days, some for weeks, and some for months.  No matter how long your baby is in the NICU, you have to face the sorrow, the fear, the anxiety, and [...]

Overwhelmed at the NICU

At first I was embarrassed at my uncontrollable display of emotions, but then I decided that it didn’t matter.  I was shocked and frightened at what lay before me, and I had just undergone major surgery!  I just didn’t have the strength to keep my composure any longer. After my 27-weeker was life-flighted to a [...]