So You Have a Baby in the NICU

It won't be easy, but you can get through it.

Two of my children were born prematurely. Both could be held within the palm of a single hand. One was just over 3 lbs, and one was just under 3 lbs. One four weeks premature and one six weeks premature.

I’ve been there. You may currently have a baby in the NICU, or you could be facing a problem pregnancy that requires an emergency C-section before your newborn is ready to come out.

Here is what I learned, and maybe it will help you.

Be Thankful

Both births went about as well as a premature birth can go. But just 30 years ago, I probably would have lost both my wife and my children. That is a reason to be thankful. Everyone is healthy and normal now.

Everything we worried about never came to pass, and if you looked at our children now, you would never guess they ever came out so small. Especially the youngest. He’s a dense, stout little boy.

Medicine, in the US at least, Advances Quickly

Our first premature baby had to be moved to a different hospital because our current hospital wasn't equipped for certain complications. Just five years later, this "unequipped" hospital had a fully stocked NICU, ready for anything.

If you are about to go through premature birth, know that there has never been a better time in the history of the planet to have one in terms of keeping the baby safe and healthy.

This is ironic, given our country's current love of abortion and making sure millions of babies never see the light of day, but it is a beacon of hope. Not everyone has bowed the knee to Baal.

The NICU is a place where everyone is fighting to save lives that could not live on their own. And yet, in other parts of the country, in sterilized rooms, these same lives were chopped up, sucked out, and sold for scrap. We have much to answer for, but while being thankful.

The Transcendent and the Mysterious Dance With the Sterilized in the NICU

So many machines. So many IVs and tubes. But one by one, they come off.

And through it all, you are encouraged to have as much skin-to-skin contact with the baby as possible. They don't know why it works, but it works, and they are willing just to let it be.

NICU Nurses are the Best

NICU nurses seem to form deeper bonds with the children than other nurses do with their patients. Many knit hats and other things for our babies, many of which we still have. So tiny.

Those nurses won't let anything slip by.

My wife and I have had unpleasant experiences with nurses, but never with a NICU nurse. Being around the most vulnerable, day after day, makes for a tender heart.

You Are Not in Control

The best I could do was show up and sit there. There was nothing more I could do. It was out of my power.

But with that helplessness comes a certain peace. It was all in God's hands. Worry was pointless. Anxiety would help nothing.

Conclusion

If you find yourself going through this, know that it won't be easy, but the path has been well-traveled.

You'll get through it.

You'll come out stronger on the other end.

And you'll have a baby who has already gone to hell and back, ready to face the world.