by Hand to Hold Staff | May 30, 2016 | Life after the NICU
Sometimes I resented it like crazy that I had to ask to hold my preemie. Then, to make it that much worse, sometimes it felt like he was being yanked from my arms. And sometimes he was because he had stopped breathing. Another time, a nurse actually reprimanded me for...
by Leigh Ann Torres | Mar 16, 2016 | Mental Health, NICU Life
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” — e.e. cummings “Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” — Lord Byron “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion” — Truvy (Steel Magnolias) Any...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Feb 8, 2016 | Life after the NICU, Mental Health
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 Hand to Hold Staff | Jan 15, 2016 | Life after the NICU
I’m a saver! I love to hang on to mementos. I love tangible things that bring back vivid memories. I have the most mementos from our preemie Haley’s NICU stay. Every year around her birthday and homecoming day I pull out the box and remember. I remember how tiny she...
by Hand to Hold Staff | Dec 28, 2015 | Mental Health, NICU Life
When we were pregnant with our first baby, we did all the things most couples do to prepare for her arrival. We cleared out a room, set up the crib and read dozens of pregnancy books. However, when my water broke seven weeks early, we were thrown into an unfamiliar...