by Hand to Hold Staff | Sep 13, 2013 | Inspiration, Mental Health, NICU Life
Dear NICU Nurse, To be honest, I never knew you existed. Back when our birth plan included a fat baby, balloons and a two-day celebratory hospital stay, I had never seen you. I had never seen a NICU. Most of the world hasn’t. There may have been a brief, “This is the...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Sep 28, 2012 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health
My preemie recently celebrated his third birthday. Every year, it is a mixed bag of emotions. Thankfully, there is more joy than sadness, more happiness than anxiety. While the details of my son’s birth will never leave my head, my heart has learned to celebrate...
by Kelli Kelley | May 29, 2012 | Mental Health
Motherhood is a journey, and when your child is born early, it is normal to bear emotional scars from the experience. Over the years, I’ve found tremendous comfort in reading the experiences of other preemie mothers. Just learning that I wasn’t alone and...
by Hand to Hold Staff | May 14, 2012 | Finances & Insurance, Medical Info & Resources, Mental Health
If you’re like me, the first few days of our NICU stay were a complete blur. There was the emergency c-section which happened way too fast, the hours of shaking while the epidural wore off, the relief in hearing my preemie cry, the hours of horrendous pain the...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Apr 3, 2012 | Mental Health
I don’t know that I have expert answers to any of those questions, but I can share what worked for me. My most important advice? Learn to forgive yourself. You will not win an award for “Best Put Together NICU Mom,” there is no such honor. Living the NICU experience...
