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How confidence and closeness transformed my family’s NICU stay

My son Jackson was born 16 weeks premature. Weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces, he was considered a micro preemie and would experience a long stay in the neonatal ICU. In the hours and days that followed his birth, I felt empty and helpless. It was a feeling I never associated or expected with the birth of an infant.

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As I became more familiar with the NICU, I still felt like a visitor, unable to contribute meaningfully to my son’s care. I couldn’t hold him or feed him or change his diaper. I was told that too much noise could be overstimulating, so I whispered prayers over him and told him that I knew he was a fighter. But it was hard to bond with my baby. I struggled to develop an emotional connection with a baby I couldn’t hug or feed.

It was about seven days before I was invited to change my son’s diaper. I was excited, nervous and scared because Jackson was still very small and his skin was delicate. I will always be grateful to the NICU #nurse who patiently talked me through it — an ordinary task to her and parents of full-term newborns. In the time she spent with me for this one diaper change, she could have changed 10 diapers.

"Still, she realized the significance of the moment for me; this was the first time I was involved in any sort of routine care for my baby – our first bonding experience".

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Patient turned advocate

#Nurses and other #healthcare professionals are the experts when it comes to the clinical care of an infant. After my firsthand experience, I was impassioned to become an advocate for family-integrated care and to help other parents like me. In 2010, I founded a nonprofit organization, Hand to Hold, to provide support to #NICU and bereaved families. That first diaper change not only boosted my confidence as a mother, but also helped alleviate the helplessness I felt that first week of my son’s life. Hand to Hold strives to inform, inspire and empower other NICU families.

In addition to my role as a NICU advocate, I’m also a member of the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council. Our group is comprised of multidisciplinary experts in neonatal care who work to educate and inform research with the goal of delivering the best care for babies and families.

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