NICU & Preemiehood
Kaylee Jane was born at 31 weeks and 4 days gestation
My preemie baby has made me a stronger person...
Watching the incredible strength she had entering the world at birth as a tiny fighter-
I will never take a day
or a breath she takes
for granted
She was 2 pounds, 11 ounces
She was 16 inches long
She spent one month in the NICU
We brought her home as a preemie at 36 weeks gestation
There are so many NICU experiences only other NICU parents can fully understand..
-The reality that every single ounce of weight gain matters
-The first time you hold your baby anticipation met with navigating a tiny baby with wires everywhere
-Long lonely days and nights that are sleepless
-The thorough sanitation process at the hand washing station
-A new member of the family that no one else has officially met due to NICU rules of only mom and dad visits
-Change of nurse staff every 12 hours
-Spending most of the early NICU days bonding with baby through the incubator
-Constant beeping of monitors everywhere day and night
-Photo walls of NICU graduates
-Navigating going back to work and the balance of visiting baby at the NICU
-The challenge of getting preemie to finish a bottle (once bottle feeding) and keeping baby up to finish every last drop
-The NICU milestones: suck, swallow, breath
-The anticipation of NICU graduation and the reality when it arrives unexpectedly
-The beauty and understandable stress of the NICU staff
-The way the NICU Journey will stay with us forever
