by Hand to Hold Staff | Feb 6, 2017 | Mental Health
It’s been four years, almost to the day, since I gave birth to my preemie at 29 weeks, weighing 2lb 6oz. Nothing at all like the big, bouncing baby boy I had been fantasizing about. Yet, he was the most beautiful, and tiniest, baby I had ever seen. Being rushed by...
by Leigh Ann Torres | Jan 16, 2017 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health, NICU Life
As a supportive network of NICU parents, we do our best not to compare experiences, but to recognize that everyone’s experience is different, and everyone’s feelings about that experience are completely valid. It seems no matter how long the NICU stay,...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Dec 15, 2016 | Mental Health, NICU Life
I won’t lie, being a NICU parent was hard. I cried a lot. It was also surprisingly rewarding. The longer your baby is in the hospital, the harder it gets. My son, Theo, a 27-weeker, spent over 200 days in the hospital, 120 of them in the NICU. Even though he...
by Leigh Ann Torres | Dec 8, 2016 | Medical Info & Resources, Professional Insight
Sitting in the quiet waiting room just minutes before her therapist came to retrieve her, my 8-year-old turned to me, and with a clarity that always surprises me she asked, “Mom? Why do I come to therapy?” It’s a hard question for us parents to...
by Leigh Ann Torres | Nov 17, 2016 | Life after the NICU
When Prematurity Awareness Day rolls around each year, I think, “Yes, I am extremely aware of prematurity.” If you’ve delivered a baby prior to its due date, chances are you’re highly aware of it too. Our friends and family are aware. Most...
