NICU Memories – Blogging for Prematurity Awareness Month
Saturday, November 22, 2008 13:01Posted in category Products and Events
Yesterday, Debbie at Premature Grandmother (and founder of Elliot’s Preemie Tees) wrote a post about the NICU memories she will never forget. I once again found myself tearing up as I related to so many of the items on her list. I thought her post was such a great idea, so today, I’m going to share my own list of NICU memories.
The Bad
- Watching as she opened her mouth in a silent scream while she spent 8 days on the ventilator
- Not being able to hold her, because if her umbilical artery catheter came out, she might bleed to death
- Celebrating Christmas at home without one of my babies
- Watching my 3 year old cry because she couldn’t see her baby sister
- The phone call that she was very, very sick, and might have necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
- The day they confirmed her NEC diagnosis
- Watching her cry and cry because she was hungry and couldn’t eat
- Realizing she’d given up and wasn’t crying anymore
- Arguing with a resident at midnight because no one ever told me she had a heart murmur (or called when they thought she might be in heart failure)
- Missing her first oral feeding because of a thoughtless nurse.
The Good
- Holding her for the very first time, when she was 8 days old
- Seeing her daddy hold her for the first time the next day
- Getting to dress her for the first time, when she was about 2 weeks old
- Seeing her face for the first time without any tubes or tape
- Recovering from NEC without surgery
- Giving her a bottle for the first time
- Coming to the hospital and finding her moved to the “Outback” where babies stayed while they were getting ready to come home
- Having her nurse say “she’ll probably get to come home tomorrow” one day when I called to check in
- Actually getting to bring her home the next day, after 46 days in the NICU.
I’m sure I could come up with dozens of other high a low points along our NICU journey, but I think that covers the best and the worst of it. What NICU memories stand out most in your mind?
Similar Posts:
- The Emotional Impact Prematurity – Blogging for Prematurity Awareness
- NICU Homecoming Day
- She’s Traveled a Long Road – Blogging for Prematurity Awareness Month
- Why Do I Keep Doing This?
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Debbie Besselievre says:
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Hi Kristie,
I have been doing a lot of crying this month too. I am such a boob! I spend a lot of time picking Elliot up and hugging and kissing on him for no reason. He wants to wiggle down and can’t figure out why Magah is being so sloppy. The daughter of a life long friend had twins this week. One didn’t make it and one just had surgery for NEC. So there are a lot of emotions this week.
Thank you for all you do!
Debbie Besselievre
Kristie says:
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Wow, I hope the little one who had surgery is on the road to recovery. I just had to go lay down the law with C, and then I came down here and started working on prematurity awareness posts and instantly felt so bad for being frustrated with her. She’s come so far!