about having a preemie...
losing our full term pregnancy and...
losing our "ideal delivery"...spending too many hours in the nicu...
not spending enough hours in the nicu...
leaving the hospital without our babies...
holding our babies for the first time...
all the acronyms you can imagine, and some you can't: C/S, IVH, PDA, NEC, ROP...
the privilege of changing diapers...
caring for our baby...
about germs in general...
the wonderment of a baby nipple feeding...
pumping all the time...
our babies' isolette linens matching...
finding preemie clothes that make us feel like we have "real" babies...
finding preemie clothes that make us feel like we have "real" babies...
having a baby shower- at all...
finding the perfect carseatstrollercribrockingchairnursingpillowfillintheblank...
taking our babies home...
not having a monitor to tell if they're ok...
not hearing beeping for the first time in months as we watch them sleep...
hand sanitizer...your "allergy cough"...
your runny nose...
about germs in general...cigarette smoke...
anyone under 5 feet tall being within 5 feet...
strangers wanting to touch our sweet babies...
about germs in general...
our babies gaining weight...
our babies gaining weight...
our babies' matching clothes...
taking pictures...
taking pictures...
the march of dimes...
termie moms complaining...
termie moms complaining...
doctors' appointments...
insurance bills...
showing the nicu we appreciate them...
reading everything we can...
message boards and blogs...
experiencing parenthood...
adjusted age...
developmental issues...
about germs in general...
future pregnancies...
future everything...
about cherishing every single moment.
and all of this is completely normal.
for friends and family, please just give preemie parents a crazypass. we deal with many things that termie parents can't imagine. we carry worry, guilt, doubt, fear and a sense of being overwhelmed with us almost every hour of every day.
