Jax taking his first bottle!
When you have a baby in the NICU you entrust the care, not to mention the life of your little baby, to the doctors, NNP’s, nurses and therapists. They have years and years of education and training in caring for these fragile little lives. While you baby is under their care, you place a certain level of faith and trust in what they are doing for your baby.
I felt we were lucky. We agreed with most of the decisions the NICU staff made for our baby. The staff always made it a point to let us know in detail what was going on with our baby, and any procedures they felt were necessary to help him. We did not have a situation where we disagreed with any of the decisions they made. However, my wife and I agreed we would not hesitate to voice our opinions to the staff if we had an objection to the decisions they made.
We talked to a few other couples who had children in the NICU. Like us, they were frightened, sad, and unsure of what the future held for their child. In our conversations with a few of them, they would tell us about a certain procedure or decision about their baby’s care that they had an issue with or did not agree with at all, but they were unsure about bringing their concerns up with the doctor. I can understand that feeling, because you have so many emotions going through your head at that time. However, we advised them to immediately voice their concerns. We told them that while the NICU staff was caring for their baby, it was still their baby, and as the parents they had the right to provide input and object to the decisions of the NICU staff. We explained to them that they are professionals and would not take their objections or opinions personally.
When it comes to the medical care of your children, the opinions of the parents are just as important as the decisions of the medical professionals. Do not ever keep your questions, thoughts, concerns or objections to yourself. Let them know!