Navigating the NICU Journey While Caring for Siblings at Home

by Jenny Reyes McCormick

My son, DJ was just shy of two years old when his brother, Joshua was born prematurely at 26 weeks gestation.

mom and two boysIn that moment, life as I knew it had been thoroughly disrupted. Our routine came to a crashing halt as all sense of normalcy flew out the window, along with my sanity. In its place, gut-wrenching fears I had never before experienced in my life nestled in as I watched my impossibly tiny child grow, develop, and fight for his life outside of me. I also experienced constant guilt as I left my toddler at home with others to care for him. And then, let’s add more guilt, as I left my fragile newborn every night in a sterile, cold environment. Momma cloning had fast become a fantasy of mine!

Navigating the terrifying NICU journey while you have a child or children at home takes balance and patience as you learn to adjust to the rabbit hole you’ve been dropped into.

In this new world, I soon learned that in order to be able to survive NICU life and home life, I had to learn to adapt. I had to learn to figure out what worked and when it didn’t work. I had to learn to be gentle and patient with myself.

Looking back on Joshua’s 129 days in the NICU, I realized that there were important key factors that helped me get through it all. First, I had to learn to ask for help. Not easy for many of us, but incredibly necessary. Allowing friends and family to help can ease some of the burden we carry. I remember a friend chauffeuring me to the NICU one day, as I was just too exhausted to drive. Even the simple things can carry us through and help us make it to another day.

Also, until you’ve experienced it, you will never understand what it means to have a preemie and how isolating it can feel, so reaching out and getting to know other NICU moms who understood what I was going through helped me feel less alone and less isolated.

Lastly, I had to learn to distinguish between the things that were out of my control and the things that I could control, like getting educated about the NICU and pumping breast milk to help my preemie thrive. Ultimately, I had to recognize that I was doing the best I could for my family and myself.

Six years later, I’m incredibly proud of my two amazing little boys!

If you have traveled this road, what tips do you have for mothers with babies in the NICU who also have children at home?

Author: Jenny Reyes McCormick • Date: 5/13/2019

About the Author

Jenny is a former Children’s Librarian and currently, Assistant Editor of PreemieWorld, LLC. Jenny is a proud mother of two young boys. Her youngest son, Joshua Drake, is a former 26-week micro-preemie who spent 129 days in the NICU. Having traveled the arduous preemie journey, Jenny is incredibly passionate about promoting prematurity awareness as well as encouraging other preemie moms who are on this journey. Many have enjoyed her blogs on grief and widowhood on A Warrior’s Battle Facebook Page.

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