Many preemies struggle with eating at some point in their life. Melissa McMurchy’s daughter was no exception. Kendall’s troubles began shortly after NICU discharge and continue to be a challenge today, at age 3. [Read more]
Preemie Survivor Guilt
February 25, 2013 by 11 Comments
When we talk about the NICU, we can’t share our story without sharing the story of a little boy named Ethan. Ethan was born a day after Kylie and was 11 weeks early, while Kylie was 10 weeks early. I am the type of person that when going through certain experiences, I like to find [...]
Oh, THOSE Red Flags: Sensory Processing Disorder
February 22, 2013 by 4 Comments
When you have a pregnancy that results in the premature birth of your child(ren), you learn pretty quickly to be grateful for every morsel of positive progress. If there’s time before birth, a neonatologist may share with you some worst case scenarios. And by the time you leave the NICU, you feel like you have [...]
Speech Therapy at Home
February 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I recently had to come to terms with the fact that my 24-week preemie will no longer be able to continue with the same therapy regimen he’s followed for the last three years, since coming home from a five-month NICU stint. We’ve relied heavily on therapy, from Early Childhood Intervention before Bryce turned three, as [...]
Surviving Preemie Surgery and a {Giveaway} “Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster” Book
January 21, 2013 by 5 Comments
"Preemie" Author Kasey Mathews shares his difficult struggle of sending her preemie back into surgery. The anxiety, fear and worry landed HER in the hospital and the gift of a friend shifted her perspective. This month we’re giving away that gift, the book "Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster." [Read more]
Riding the NICU Roller Coaster, Times Three
January 16, 2013 by 3 Comments
If you are familiar with the preemie world, you have most likely heard the NICU experience referred to as a roller coaster. With all the baby steps forward and the major and minor setbacks along the way, parents often feel as if they are on a hair- raising carnival ride; and much like riding on [...]
The Gift of Receiving
December 19, 2012 by 4 Comments
I used to love the holidays. The sparkle of white lights, the smell of evergreen, the sound of Bing Crosby Christmas carols. And then I spent a Christmas in our home, while our baby lay in an incubator in a hospital an hour away. That year, the arrival of Christmas highlighted just how “not normal” [...]
Missing Your Baby at Christmas Time
December 17, 2012 by 5 Comments
I have to say the holidays come with somewhat of a sting. Even though we have a beautiful son, and a daughter on the way (due early February), the holidays have a way of sending nostalgia through your blood, reminding you of your first dream of a Christmas with your baby. Your first hopes. The [...]
Revisiting the NICU as a Volunteer
December 5, 2012 by 2 Comments
The 150 days that my son Bryce spent in the NICU at Dell Children’s Medical Center were the longest, most trying days of my life thus far. And it’s not hard to imagine that few trials going forth will test my resolve nearly as much as watching my 1-1/2 pound infant son fight for his [...]
My RSV Story. My Voice.
October 22, 2012 by 7 Comments
This is still the hardest part of the story to tell. The story of my girl born way-too-soon, weighing way-too-little. Because this is the point in the story where we let our guard down. Where we actually let ourselves believe that our girl’s prematurity was behind her; that we were in the clear.
