NICU Numbers

Mommy with Daniel (L) and Ben (R)



Daniel - 5 days old



Daddy with Ben (on vent) - 3 days old






Another preemie mom posted her NICU numbers on a forum I'm on and I thought it was a great idea. So here's mine (thanks to a journal I kept during that time):

30 weeks gestation
2 short minutes between the birth of Daniel and birth of Benjamin
2 tiny babies arriving way too early
1 amazing husband who gripped my hand just as tightly as I gripped his during those awful minutes before they were taken from me
1 best friend who just happened to be in town for that one night only and was able to be there for the birth of my boys
2 cc’s of breast milk for Daniel for the first few days of life
2 chest tubes for Ben due to 2 Pneumothorax
4 days of not holding Ben while he was on a ventilator
45 minutes of Kangaroo time with Ben when he was 8 days old
13 days old when Daniel wears real clothes for the first time
6 pumping sessions per day
1 positive CF screening test for Ben
4 blood transfusions
1 NEC scare (Ben)
1 terrifying infection (Ben)
1 brady so bad that Daniel had to be resuscitated using the bag
1 day I couldn’t visit due to a cold
1 naïve mom who didn’t pay much attention to the words “possible developmental delays”
9 amazing people who traveled long distances to come and meet these tiny wonders
47 people who felt the need to tell me about their friend/cousin/neighbor/person on a bus who had a child in the NICU 18 years ago and they lived (hooray for them...pardon my sarcasm)
57 very long days spent in the NICU and not at home with Mommy and Daddy
2 little smiles that now greet me every morning
“Too many to count” amazing doctors, nurses and staff that made sure my boys were able to come home to us