Earlier in the pregnancy I thought about what the birth of our second child might be like. I envisioned my wife and myself holding our new baby in our arms, and taking photos of our daughter, thrilled to be a big sister, doing the same. But reality has set in that this won’t happen. Quite possibly, we’ll only have a few moments after birth before the baby ends up being rushed to the NICU and hooked up to all sorts of tubes and monitors. Due to current restrictions, our daughter won’t get to see the baby in the NICU at all. And it’s quite possible that we may be faced with a lengthy stay there.
Last week we arranged for a tour of the NICU to see what our future might be like. Most babies are there after an emergency delivery that the parents don’t see coming, but at least with our situation, we actually have time to mentally prepare for it. And because my wife will likely be recovering from a c-section after birth, she won’t be able to visit or see the baby for a few days after birth, so I’m glad she got to see where our baby will be.
The NICU does seem like a different world, a restricted area, tucked away from the rest of the hospital. A couple of other parents gave us consent to see their babies, which included a set of triplets born at the same gestational age (28 weeks and 5 days) that we were at that time of the tour. I’ve seen photos and footage of preemies, but had never seen one before in person. Our first daughter was small at 5lbs. and 14oz. at birth, but these babies were barely over 2lbs. They were all hooked up to several machines to keep them alive, and they all seemed so fragile. Seeing them was an upsetting and amazing experience at the same time.
The NICU was divided into several bays, and felt like it was part nursery, part laboratory. We saw a few other NICU parents, and the joy of having a baby seems to have been replaced by exhaustion and constant concern. But the staff there was excellent and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. They gave us a lot of information, which we found a little overwhelming, but they told us they didn’t expect us to remember everything.
After our scare last week, we know that we could end up becoming NICU parents any day. No parent ever hopes his or her baby will end up in the NICU, but at least we feel a little more prepared after having seen what’s in store for us.
I have a friend who delivered a very premature, very small baby a few months ago -- I think that Isabel, now about 4 months, was 2 pounds and change at birth.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, she stayed in the NICU a good while, but now she's home, healthy, and bigger.
So while I can't imagine what it feels like right now, I just wanted to say that wee babies can and do get bigger!
Hugs to all!
I am glad that you two got a chance to visit NICU. It's lucky that you got to see where the baby will be and who some of the nurses will be.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you may have picked one of the best hospitals in the country. The fact that Bubble Mommy has avoided giving birth for so long is a sign that her medical professionals know what they're doing! That's always a relief!