emotions you might feel in Cheap Kobe 9 Shoes the NICU

emotions you might feel in the NICU

In this article You might feel: Guilty about the early birth You might feel: Self-pitying, then lucky, then self-pitying again You might feel: Detached from your baby You might feel: Helpless You might feel: Angry You might feel: Like you've got to get away You might feel: Reluctant to take your baby home

You might feel: Guilty about the early birthMoms often fall prey to blaming themselves KD 7 Shoes - Fast Delivery All Over The World. We usually don't know why a baby is born prematurely, and it's hard to resist trying to solve the mystery. "Did I eat something I shouldn't have? Did I take a medicine I shouldn't have?" Many moms feel like they failed by not carrying the baby to term.

How to cope: "It can be really helpful for parents to hear the doctor say, 'We don't know why your baby was born early. You might feel sad that you can't take your baby home.

Yet in the world of the NICU, your baby may be seen as relatively healthy and you could be on the receiving end of envy from parents who have been in the NICU for weeks or months. Which, of course, can make you feel at once lucky and guilty. Meanwhile, in the outside world, people may be clucking their tongues in sympathy about how horrible your situation is.

How to cope: Talking with other preemie parents about these feelings will help them seem as normal and rational as they are. It can be especially helpful to talk to parents who are a few weeks ahead of you in the process and have a bit more perspective.

You might feel: Detached from your baby"I was surprised how well I took having my baby early, and being in the NICU, and then his heart surgery. I seemed very calm," one BabyCenter mom says. "Now I realize I was probably in shock." Feeling detached and having difficulty bonding are common reactions to a traumatic experience exactly what many parents of a preemie are having.

How to cope: Feeling detached is a sign that you're in a self-protective mode. Feeling guilty or ashamed of that can make it more painful. To help bring you in touch with your deeper-down feelings, try to get as involved as you can in your baby's care.

And be frank with your social worker about how you're feeling. She's there to help you get the help you need, whether that's hooking you up with a support group, a therapist, postpartum depression screening, or just making sure you're getting outside for fresh air. So tell her what you're feeling. You will not shock her. She's heard it all before.

You might feel: HelplessOne mom felt it when it took several days for her milk to come in, while her already tiny baby was losing weight by the hour. "It seemed like all eyes were on me, saying 'Well, where's the milk? Your baby is hungry!' I felt like such a failure when they had to give her formula."

Another mother says, "I had waited so long to be a mother, and when my twins were born I had nurses and doctors telling me what I could and couldn't do with my own babies. It wasn't until they'd been home a week that I really started feeling like they were mine."

How to cope: Get involved with caring for and advocating for your baby. You can speak up for your baby most effectively when you're paying close attention in the NICU, talking to all the members of the medical team, and doing tasks alongside or instead of the nurses (weighing diapers, bringing in and washing receiving blankets). "My feelings of helplessness got better by being with my baby, and doing whatever I could," writes one parent.

You might feel: Angry"I just wanted people to leave me alone. I hated giving reports to people, I hated hearing people talk about 'the situation,' and I hated when people asked if I was okay!" writes one mom.

How to cope: People mean well, but sometimes all you want is to be left alone. Ask a friend to be your point person to keep others up to date and run interference (read 4 smart ways to harness offers of help after your preemie is born). If anyone's irritated that they can't speak to you directly, that's okay. They'll get over it and your first priority right now is your baby.

You might feel: Like you've got to get awayEven parents who take home a full-term baby usually feel a desperate need for a break during those first few weeks. Parents of preemies may not be doing as much nonstop parenting, but if anything, the emotional intensity (and airlock environment) of the NICU means that getting a day away can be even more essential Cheap Kobe 9 Shoes.

"I needed a break. I knew my baby was well taken care of, and I was exhausted," one mom told us. "But I felt guilty not for staying home from the hospital for a day, honestly, but for not being upset about staying home."

How to cope: Getting back bits of a normal routine outside of the hospital regular walks, checking in with work, going to church can help you re-engage with the other parts of your life and give you a mental breather.

Don't sit by the incubator all day every day. Try and get some air. "Being in an almost hermetically sealed environment all day and night can become disorienting and add to your stress," says Gunter.

You might feel: Reluctant to take your baby homeIt's the day you've been waiting for: Your baby is discharged from the NICU and you're taking him home. And then you realize, all those nurses and monitoring equipment aren't coming with you. What if something goes wrong Discount Jordans For Sale?

While all parents feel a bit daunted at the idea of taking care of a newborn, parents who have had days, weeks, or months of a medical team managing their fragile preemie's health can feel downright terrified: "When my daughter was healthy enough to come home after nine days, I was so happy," says one mom. "Then it hit me that I'd be alone with her. I freaked out."

Plus, sometimes preemies discharged from the NICU still need extra care, extra equipment, and extra therapy, which can make the task seem extra daunting especially with multiples.

How to cope: Keep a community of empathetic parents around by connecting on preemie parenting boards. This will make you feel less alone as you navigate the first weeks at home, when you'll likely feel the roller-coaster emotions of intense relief to be out of the hospital and intense fear about your baby's health. Parents of preemies will get what you're going through in a way that your friends and neighbors may not totally understand.

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