Our son was only born a month early, but with my type 1 diabetes there were problems that caused him to stay four weeks in the NICU. He was born at 8 lbs 12 oz, but still required oxygen and a feeding tube for the first few weeks. Those four weeks in the NICU were some of the hardest of our lives, and definitely not how we envisioned having our first baby.
We spent Thanksgiving in the NICU. A kind aunt brought us her (delicious) left-overs and visited her great-nephew at the same time. While the food was wonderful, eating it in a small parents’ room at the hospital made it harder to feel very thankful. Still, we tried, and found that support from family members, and from our faith, made gratitude easier.
Every small step was a victory. Every moment spent holding him was amazing. Everyone who met him loved him instantly, and that magnetic personality has only grown as he’s got older.
We stayed in the Ronald McDonald House for those four weeks. I spent every day in the NICU, and my husband spent as much time as he could around traveling to work three days a week. Being away from home was hard, and spending every day in the hospital was harder, but those days were spent as a family, supporting our growing son.
Finally being released from the hospital was the greatest day. There are people who are there for much longer than us, and I can’t imagine how much harder that would be. Still, bringing him home was a joy and a stress. Could we take good enough care of a baby who was still on oxygen and needed medicine three times a day?
Even at home, life wasn’t easy. We had oxygen, medicine, and a strict quarantine because he came home in winter. We hoped he wouldn’t be too far behind the curve in his development, and we probably sheltered him a bit much those first few weeks home.
As the months went on, our son learned to do everything the doctors said he needed to, and only a few weeks behind the “ideal” each time. He’s learned to smile, to play, to dance, to love music and books. He is the favorite (and only) nephew on both sides of the family, and brings so much joy to anyone and everyone he meets.
Sometimes when we hold our son, we remember those days in the NICU when we knew we would have to put him back and leave him at the end of the day. While the NICU was one of the very hardest things we’ve ever been through, it has given us a greater appreciation for our little boy and the joy he brings us every day.
Written December 2017
Presents 4 Preemies 