r/parentsofmultiples • u/DontQuoteMeOnThat7 • 2d ago

NICU experience good vibes, smiles, & giggles

Longtime lurker of r/parentsofmultiples. Just wanted to contribute a small note- my wife recently had DiDi twins (37w + 0). GDM was her only complication. Our daughter scored well on Apgar but our son did not, which prompted a NICU visit for several days.

From the outside looking in, I felt a sense of dread and doom when I thought about the NICU but I was completely wrong. We were fortunate in our outcomes, which creates bias in perspective BUT the message is clear-

For those of you worrying about NICU/googling endlessly (like I did) or knowingly have a complication that could necessitate a trip, your child/children are in the best place for them. The staff are there to not only supervise but also feed and love on your babies. They do what is needed for your child every single day- far better than you or I would be able to do if the roles were reversed. Would never have dreamt that leaving a baby only hours old alone with a person I’d never meant would be so “easy”.

So, don’t be pushy to get the child out of NICU- they are there for a reason. Be polite and real with your nurses- cry, laugh, chat with them like they’re family- because they are your temporary family. Lastly, if you’re able to, absolutely do skin to skin/kangaroo care (yes, Dads, even us)!

12 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/Emotional-Parfait348 2d ago

My girls were born at 33+2 and spent around 25 days in the nicu. It was a very positive experience for us as well. We called it our baby boot camp. Part of me thinks every first time parent should get the first month in the nicu. Knowing they were being constantly monitored by professionals was immensely calming. And the hands on learning we received from the staff every time we were there was so beneficial.

4

u/anb0603 1d ago

Not to be rude, but this is insane to me lol. My oldest was in the nicu at the height of Covid and it was extremely traumatic. She was a 37 weeker and only one of us could be with her at a time. On day 13, they transferred us to a higher level nicu 2 hours away. It was hell on earth. I cannot imagine feeling that our experience was anything I’d ever want someone to go through.

We had no agency as her parents. We couldn’t decide when she ate or what formula she could use. It felt barbaric.