I offered a mini Valentines Day session this year for just little cuties who were born early. These kids are nothing short of amazing. When our little ones are born early it’s so hard to picture what the future will look like, and hopefully seeing these preemies as they are now will help some parents of newborn little ones rest a little easier that things will be ok. Being a parent of a preemie is crazy, the hospital stay in a roller coaster of emotions and we just can’t wait to have our babies home but once they are home reality sets in and for some parents (most parents) it’s even harder to deal with than being in the hospital.
All those days going to see your baby in the NICU you imagine how awesome it is going to be to have them home, you are not really prepared for how hard it is. The number of Dr’s appts you need to go to is absolutely crazy, it’s a full time job for some for some, it was for me. The evaluations, the appts for PT, OT, medicines, reflux, apnea, monitors, keeping non understanding people away from your baby until you feel it is safe for them to come in contact with others. And then there is the emotional side of it. It’s hard. You’re physically and emotionally tired. You feel guilty that you are not as happy as you thought you would be all those days dreaming in the NICU of being home. Sometimes, I even longed to be back in the peaceful atmosphere of the NICU where the babies seem to just sleep and eat and grow….that is so not how it is when you get home. For me it felt like my son stopped eating, sleeping and growing as soon as he got home. I think I knew deep down how hard this was going to be because when Henry’s Dr actually called to tell us he could come home the next day I asked for one more day….how crazy is that??? After a 100+ days in the hospital I asked to keep him another day. I laugh now, but I was terrified. He was coming home on oxygen because he was still having difficulty breathing and I was freaking terrified.
Hopefully the photos of these preemies will show new preemie parents that they do grow, they will eat, they will sleep, they will be the happy healthy children you dreamed of.
Please share with any parents you might know that might need a glimpse into their preemies future.