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Challenge: NICU Parenting

My miracle

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Our life was perfect we had gotten married moved into together had a wonderful daughter and was comfortable, so we decided to try for another baby. Countless times we got our hopes up, and even three times we got pregnant all were met with disappointment and loss. We were told it wasn't going to happen for us, so we opted for surgery and a year later still nothing. We gave up and decided to move on with our lives, we bought a house did all of the things a happy family should be doing but I felt the losses we had faced everyday and knew something would always be missing in our lives. Our now 10 year old daughter felt the same tinge I felt in my heart as everyone around us had more children and many people who had no idea would ask when we were going to have more. April of 2016 I found out I was pregnant which had happened before and I was terrified. I wanted to hold out hope it would be a successful pregnancy. In august we found out we were having a son, one of each it was perfect. The same day we found out he had sua (single umbilical artery) meaning he was not getting the nutrition and blood flow that he needed to thrive and grow, they warned us he would be small, if he survived at all, I carried him anyways, counting his movements everyday being thankful to hit the half way mark of the pregnancy. October came and we starting counting down the weeks until our December baby would be here. Little did we know he would plan a much earlier entrance. October 15th I went to bed and woke up to a loud pop feeling in my stomach and water went fishing everywhere. It was too early he was too small. Our local hospital was not equipped so they sent me on an hour and a half long ambulance ride to our nearest nicu hospital. For 3 days they tried to control my labor and stop him, our goal for the day was "stay pregnant" but he wanted to come the labor never stopped. At 12:00 am on October the 18th they told me I needed to push. Out came this little boy who wasn't moving or crying or even pink. At 1:12 am our only son Brian Joseph was born and taken into a different room with a full staff of doctors and nurses. I held my breath waiting for him to cry after what seemed like an eternity he finally let out a noise, what sounded like a pitiful little kitten was my son breathing for the first time. For 67 days we stayed in the nicu almost 2 hours away from our family, our friends, and worst of all our daughter missing holidays and spending the weekends with out daughter there with us. Thanksgiving last year was spent in tears in a hospital cafeteria with our thanksgiving meal in stryofoam containers. When it was time to go home it felt like a dream it felt like someone was going to pull the rug out from under us and tell us we had to stay. Now our precious miracle is 1 he is happy, healthy, and is excelling in everything he does. He walks and climbs and has 10 teeth already. Being a nicu parent will push you to your limits and make you feel like you can't go any further, it's scary, it's brutal, but everyday brings you one day closer to being home with your child.

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