Being a NICU Parent
Being a NICU parent is one of the most terrifying and exhausting things I have ever done, and that is saying something. We had a “short” NICU stay in comparison to some of the families we have met. No matter how long of a NICU stay a baby has, the mental anguish is there.
For most parents, the birth of their child is one of the most exciting days! For a NICU parent, that day is stolen and despair creeps in. NICUs are a scary place. There is no privacy for the parents to be with their baby’s, your child is attached to different monitors and IVs, so holding them is terrifying and you are constantly surrounded by sick babies and their families who are just praying for a miracle. Hope feels like the only thing you can hold on to.
Every day you go into the hospital hoping for a positive nightly report, looking for your baby to take a metaphorical step forward, and often hearing of the two steps back. You are trusting nurses you don’t know to care for the child you have prayed and cared for over the last few months. You are pleading with family and friends to be patient at you are trying to be patient. Constantly surrounded by beeps and buzzes that will haunt you in your sleep as you watch monitors checking your baby’s oxygen levels and heart rate. The slightest dip and as a parent, you freak out. Constantly hoping that your baby gets out of NICU safely and home in your arms.
Our NICU babies are warriors in battles they don’t even know they are fighting because they just want to live and be loved. The NICU parents are distraught advocating for their children to receive the best care they can. It is exhausting and heartbreaking to watch your child constantly be poked and prodded when all they should be doing is being loved on. Being a NICU parent is not for the weak, hell, being a parent is not for the weak. Spending so much time in NICU, Sam and I had to find ways to connect as a family that we never envisioned. It tried our patience, our creativity, and our mental stability. We send so many blessings to other NICU parents, we see you. May God protect your family.
