HAVING A BABY IN THE NICU
September is NICU Awareness Month created by @nicuawareness which provides support and aid to families. We would like to send a SPECIAL THANK YOU !!! to all healthcare workers who assist families in their time of need.
I delivered my first-born son at 19 years old. He was born preterm on January 6th, 2002, at 31 weeks, he weighed 4lbs. I was unconscious when he came into this world, that's not the experience I was hoping to have going into labor. Unfortunately, my condition forced the doctors to complete an emergency C-section. I woke up in ICU one day later with my family by my bedside. I was not clear on what exactly happened to me, but I had tubes coming out of both nostrils, tubes down my throat, both arms had needles, and a catheter hooked up to me. I could not talk because of the tube down my throat. My eyes darted around the room and my family explained I was in the Intensive Care Unit. My eyes paced down at my stomach and my child's father said she is looking for her baby. They showed me photos of my baby the nurses took, my family told me he made it and was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, my baby boy was breathing on his own and very strong. That was good news to hear but I was disappointed as well, tears rolled down my eyes, all I felt was sadness. My baby came into this world without knowing his mother's first touch. The bond the connection I expected to have in the beginning did not happen.
The first time I got to meet my baby was when I was discharged from ICU which was 5 days later. I was transported by wheelchair to NICU, at first the nurses in NICU were not going to let me in due to the redness in my eyes. The nurse and transporter explained the blood vessels burst in my eyes from the pressure being placed on my nostrils, as the doctors were inserting the tubes in my nose, and it was not an infection. After we cleared that up, I went on the side of his incubator, and it said baby boy Marks I felt awful he was the only baby in there without a name 5 days after being born. I stood up and opened the glass on the side of the incubator I touched his back his skin was so wrinkly and soft. The nurse opened the incubator wrapped him up in blankets so I could hold him. She told me he's a very strong baby he did not need any feeding assistance with tubes. He actually latched on to a bottle nipple, she said they gave him steroids when he first came out just to ensure his lungs were developed. The other tube hooked up to him was a mandatory IV every baby needs to have as long as they're in the NICU. I was told once he starts to consistently gain weight, he would be allowed to come home. He stayed in the hospital 3 weeks after I was discharged, he was discharged at 4lbs 8oz. What I took away from this experience was traumatizing but rewarding at the same time. All families that have babies in the NICU are faced with seeing their baby fight for their life and it breaks you.
A couple of ways you can show your support for a NICU family - Reach out as often as you can check in - Ask is the family has a support team or group they can reach out too.- If mom is breastfeeding as what kind of products is needed to assist with her breastfeeding journey. e.g. I pumped and transported milk every two days to the NICU (milk storing was important for me.- Volunteer to buy gas for the family, traveling back and forth to the hospital can be an incurred expense that they hadn't planned for.- Offer a food gift card/ grocery store gift card so the family can have a meal while traveling back and forth. - Ask what kind of assistance is needed to help out, maybe coming over and helping with a load of laundry may help. - Most importantly send encouragement, daily affirmations through text messages, a call, via email. Trust me it helps