Seventy-five days. That’s the collective time we spent in the NICU with our children. Both NICU stays were different. One was short, the other long. The first stay came with a life-altering diagnosis. The second came with life-saving surgery. Both were challenging and emotionally draining experiences. But they are a part of my birth stories for my kiddos, so there are also memories of sweet joy and celebration. And the real heroes of the NICU are the amazing nurses that take such great care of these fragile babies.
Consistency in challenges
The NICU is a revolving door. A current of new babies coming in and out. New doctors are in charge each week. But the nurses stay consistent. These friendly faces I came to rely upon when entering the NICU each day. When everything was changing day to day it was so comforting to know that the same nurses were caring for my babies. This consistency brought peace in troubling times.
Strong advocates
During my son’s long NICU stay, we had a new doctor each week. And each doctor had different strategies and perspectives on how to care for my son. The NICU nurses were great advocates sharing pertinent information with these doctors, so my child could get home faster. The nurses were the ones that saw the whole picture. They stuck up for my desires. When I wanted to breastfeed my son, it was a nurse that helped me get started.
Friendly conversation
I spent a lot of time in the NICU. And I appreciated the light-hearted chats I came to have with the nurses. It was a nice relief to have a normal conversation not centered only on my son’s condition. It brought a shred of normalcy into my day and made me feel like a person, not just a NICU mom.
Always hopeful
The NICU nurses did a perfect job of presenting the situation in a realistic, but hopeful way. Always encouraging, but never trying to get my hopes up for something that might take longer than I wanted. I appreciated the clarity of our situation, even when things were extremely challenging. But there was always hope.
Forever grateful
I will be forever grateful to those NICU nurses who cared for my babies daily. Who were there when I couldn’t be. I’m so thankful for their consistency and advocacy, for their friendly conversations and approachableness, for their encouragement and support. When I look at my thriving kiddos today, I often think about the NICU nurses who helped them when they were at their weakest. And I’m so thankful.
Great article!