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One inch longer than a Barbie doll
I was about to become a mother … fast. I hadn't even made it to the delivery room. While in the triage area, a nurse was holding my hand and telling me to push. Everything happened so quickly that my husband, Tim, missed the whole delivery. Minutes later, a strawberry-blonde-haired baby girl was born weighing just 1 pound 8 ounces and measuring 12.5 inches long. Her name was Avery, and she was cleaned up, intubated and whisked of to the NICU, which would be her home for the next four months.
How do you care for a baby who weighs less than a kitten?
Being a first-time mom is stressful enough; add a baby whose head was smaller than my fist, with one of her eyes fused shut, and it was a completely different story. I felt downright helpless. Avery was hooked up to a ventilator for two weeks, in addition to heart and breathing monitors, picc lines and NG tubes. Eventually, I started to feel comfortable and learned so much from the NICU staff during that long four-month journey. I learned that most micro preemies don't like to be touched at first and are medically fragile. Avery was no exception. I learned how to carefully hold my one-and-a-half-pound bundle of joy and began to participate in hands-on care, helping with taking Avery's temperature and holding her (and all the wires she was attached to) up to get a weight check. I learned how to distinguish between all of the different beeps and alarms.
Having a micro preemie can be an awesome thing
You are probably thinking it was a typo when I said having a micro preemie can be an awesome thing. But it is no mistake; it really can be awesome. I remember one nurse said it best and changed my views about having a one-pound baby. She said, “Seeing a baby develop outside of the womb is like watching a miracle happen.” It truly is an amazing thing to see. Not everyone will get to experience that, and even though it has been the most difficult thing my husband and I ever had to endure, it was an incredible experience.
Kangarooing was one of the best things that a mother could do for her baby in the NICU.
The NICU Journey is Roller Coaster Ride
A preemie's condition can change from stable to critical in the blink of an eye. Babies can take one step forward and then three steps back. I never would have made it through this difficult journey without the help and emotional support from everyone involved in Avery's care. From the doctors, nurses, respiratory team, physical therapists to even the janitors, they offered a shoulder to cry on when Avery needed a blood transfusion, and each time Avery's breathing took a turn for the worse. They were there to rock my baby to sleep each night when I wasn't able to be at the NICU. They spent hours every day repositioning Avery in her Isolette to get her comfortable, only to have to do it all over again when she had a dirty diaper. They were there to celebrate the little milestones each NICU mom learns to celebrate, such as each day Avery gained an ounce instead of lost one, the first time I got to kangaroo with her or the first time I walked in and couldn't believe my eyes – Avery was wearing real (preemie-sized) clothes. They were all so selfless, celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's with my family instead of with their own spouses and children.
Words cannot begin to express my gratitude
I don't know how to say thank you for saving my baby's life, for putting up with my family and me for four months during the most stressful time in our lives, for comforting us when things weren't going well and for celebrating with us each time Avery drank a milliliter from the bottle. Every time I look at my baby, I think of the journey she had the first few months of her life, and I know she would not be here today if it hadn't been for caregivers like all of you.
She was always cozy and comfortable thanks to the nurses' many efforts.
The staff left cute little notes from Avery.
