by Kara Wahlin | Feb 8, 2016 | Emotional Health, Life after the NICU
The day after my son William died, my husband and I went to the hospital to see his twin Elliott in the NICU. We had agreed that being near Elliott would be the only thing that would feel ok that day. We were both mostly silent. I remember feeling very otherworldly,...
by Kara Wahlin | Dec 21, 2015 | Emotional Health, Grief & Bereavement
When my surviving son was finally discharged from the NICU, he cried for about three months straight. Literally. My husband and I called it the daily “witching hour”, though it was hardly an hour. It lasted on average from 3-8pm daily (in addition to other...
by Kara Wahlin | Nov 23, 2015 | Emotional Health, Family Stories, News
In meeting many NICU parents, I’ve gathered that not one of us would wish the NICU experience on anyone after having gone through it. It is terrifying and so destabilizing on multiple levels that one wouldn’t wish it on their worst enemy. Can you imagine,...
by Kara Wahlin | Aug 17, 2015 | Emotional Health
I remember certain days in the NICU. Vividly. The tough days: the days one would never even want to speak of. At the time, I quit all of my social media, I stopped responding to calls, emails and texts, and my world shrunk to pumping, going to the hospital, and...
by Kara Wahlin | Jul 13, 2015 | Grief & Bereavement
My son woke up tonight from a nightmare. He told me his best friend was dead. As a parent of a twinless twin, the symbolism was very difficult for me. A best friend. Dead. Could the image in his nightmare have been his brother? How do you go about telling a little boy...
