I read this on a preemie facebook page that I recently found and I really liked it. I guess partly because it made me feel normal that everyone else has these same feelings. Its all so unfamiliar that you sometimes don't know how to handle it all. For me it's just one day at a time and I try not to focus too much on whats really happening. I have no control. It is what it is and now we just have to handle it as it comes. Thanks again for all the support mommas! Soon I'll be back to posting about health and fitness. Right now this seems to be consuming my life!
Prematurity Awareness~ During a normal pregnancy that goes to term, parents have time to work through various stages of planning and anticipation as they prepare for their babe’s arrival. When your baby is born prematurely, that all suddenly changes.
Joy, grief, fear and despair—you experience the range of emotions. The dream of the perfect birth and all of your well-made plans are disrupted. Even if you’ve been confined to bed rest for some concerning complication, even when you know your chances of going “the full 40” are slim, early labor still shocks most women.
With a premature birth comes the realization that you’ll be separated from your baby while he/she’s in the NICU—the neonatal intensive care unit. Returning home to face an empty nursery inspires bouts of inevitable anger, fear, depression and anxiety. For most couples, the earlier the gestational birth, the longer these feelings linger.
Expect to be stressed and short-tempered from lack of sleep. Expect to feel jealous of other parents who have big, bouncy full-term babies. Expect to feel overwhelmed. The process of grieving “what might have been,” and facing the fearful, unknown future for your preemie tests the resolve of even the strongest couples. The good news is so many preemies survive and go on to live normal, healthy lives. (written by a fellow preemie mom)
