Jordan's Journey: NICU LIFE
Hey loves,
Thanks for stopping by. Today’s blog post and video are about Jordan’s time in the NICU. I’ll unpack the first time I laid eyes on her, how I stayed sane during the tough times, and how even though things didn’t go the way we expected, God equipped us to be ready for the life ahead of us. If you landed on my blog because your little one is in the NICU please comment below with your or your little one’s name. I’d be honored to pray for your family. If you had a little one in the NICU and you’re on the other side of it please feel free to share what kept you during your NICU time.
Here are some tips that I didn’t share in the video, but I hope can help families new to the NICU life.
ATTIRE: Wear comfy layered clothes. If you just had your baby this may be a no-brainer, but for me, especially once I was discharged, I tried to wear jeans again. It was uncomfortable after a while sitting or lying in Jordan’s room. Layering or nursing-friendly clothes are important too as medical staff is in and out of the room pretty frequently.
PRIVATE ROOM: Speaking of a private room. If your NICU has it, find out when/if your LO will get their own room. The NICU was underpopulated (thankfully) when Jordan was admitted so she went straight to her own room. Once I was discharged I basically moved into her room. This meant I could sleepover and be with her constantly. #win
ROUNDS: Everyday the medical team will do “rounds.” This is a 15-45 minute team huddle of the care providers (neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses, and sometimes specialists like OT, PT, and feeding will join. Parents are welcomed AND encouraged (at least in my experience) to attend and to participate. This really helped me to feel apart of the team and to have an understanding of Jordan’s care plan and the WHY behind all of the decisions being made.
TALK TO SOMEONE: We had an amazing family navigator who also happened to be a Chaplin. She was integral in helping me process my feelings, questions, and overall experience.
SELF CARE IS REAL: While Jordan was in the NICU I managed to shower and brush my teeth every day, but that was about it. It wasn’t clear to me how much I had abandoned my normal maintenance until I started to change her diaper and had the majority of her vaseline caked under my nail versus on her bottom. My nails had grown out so long. One look at my eyebrows, woof! Yeah, it was time. I felt consumed with guilt though. It was hard to leave her and do something that seemed so much like a luxury at the time. Once I had all of the services done, I felt so much more relaxed and in turn, a better version of myself for her.
GET INVOLVED: There will be times (A LOT) where the medical team has to provide care that you can’t for your little one. That’s rough. In your logical mind, you know that they’re doing their job and you’re thankful, but in your parent mind, you want to be the one to make everything okay. Guess what? You can in your own way. When it was time for Jordan’s care time i.e. diapering, feeding, bathing I was right there in the mix caring for my baby. Every day I sat by her crib and read and sang to her.
TIME AWAY: One of Jordan’s nurses gave me really sound advice while she was in the NICU. She encouraged me to go home some evenings for time to myself and with my husband. She reminded me that she was in the BEST and most capable hands and you know what, she was right. It was still hard to leave her. I felt guilty that I could go home and she couldn’t. I would go home for a movie night or a date night. It wasn’t easy and I definitely called multiple times through the night to see how she was doing, but the time away recharged me for the next few days that I was there and on.
Have other tips to add? Leave them down below.
Xo
Vykky