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Challenge: NICU Parenting

The NICU rollercoaster

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I was 28 weeks pregnant when my blood pressure sky rocketed. I was admitted for observation and on the 4th day when I was to be released they decided to do another ultrasound. The nurse left the room and returned with a doctor I had not met before. The doctor explained that the baby was breech so we would need to do a csection. I still did not know what was going on, I asked “won’t the baby turn by October” (this was July). He was very sweet and said “ no honey your baby is going to be born today, he is better off outside of you than inside”. I was there all alone, they brought me a phone and I called my husband who was expecting to pick me up to go home because I was being discharged. The rest is a blur, it seemed like my whole family was there within minutes. After he was delivered they rushed him to the near by children’s hospital, they wheeled him passed me as I lay on the OR table, he weighed just 1lb 14oz, we named him Shade after my husband. I was only able to see him through pictures the first couple days, while I recovered from my c-section. We spent the next 4 months visiting him everyday. He would have a good day then a set back, like riding a rollercoster, a lot of ups and downs. We were so elated when he reached the 3 lb mark. At one point we were told he could come home on oxygen, which got pushed back because he was not eating enough. We finally got to take him home on November 10th after her had a feeding tube surgically placed. He continued to improve and was able to have the tube removed permanently a month after his second birthday. Shade is now 9 years old and other than being on the smaller side has no setbacks from being a preemie. He loves sports, he plays baseball, soccer and wrestles. Shade is the kindest kid I have ever met and I am so proud to be his mom.

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