When our baby is born, we can’t wait for the moment to bring it home and start a new life together. However, sometimes there are some medical circumstances for which this is not possible, and the baby must remain hospitalized for a longer time .
During their hospital stay, babies remain in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while they are cared for by specialists and medical personnel who monitor their health day by day and who are responsible for giving them the special care they need.
This time can be particularly difficult for mothers, since seeing their children hospitalized is overwhelming and worrying. For this reason, today we want to dedicate a few words to ICU moms and remind them that they are not alone.
a close experience
Although personally I was not a UCI mother, I had to live a very close experience when my first niece was born , the one who made me an aunt and stole my heart. Being my sister’s first baby, I was able to witness the entire process in the first row: from pregnancy to birth, in which I had the honor of being present (and which was also the first birth I saw in my life).
Although everything seemed fine at first, hours after she was born my niece had a health problem and had to be transferred to another city in an emergency plane , where she was admitted to the ICU of a pediatric hospital. The concern was present throughout the family, but the one who was undoubtedly most emotionally affected was my sister Zarina.
” I felt empty because I couldn’t enjoy becoming a mother and being with my daughter ,” my sister shares with us, recalling her experience a few years later. ” Being separated from her and knowing that she would travel alone on that plane, without me was very sad. I only had to trust the word of the paramedic who took her and would take care of her during her transfer “.
The days that followed were filled with anguish. While we waited for my sister to give us positive news about my niece’s health, the few hours she was able to spend in the ICU were difficult for her:
” I had just had my baby and I was overwhelmed not being able to be with her. I wondered why this had to happen, why something had gone wrong. It made me anxious to see her so small and surrounded by cables, not knowing for sure what was happening because it was not clear what had happened to him , “explains Zarina.
Fortunately, the ICU medical staff always watched over my niece and accompanied my sister: ” They were true angels on Earth “, and my niece’s stay in the ICU was not that long (although the days seemed eternal). When they finally discharged her, joy was present and we traveled as a family to take them home.
This experience helped me better understand what some of the mothers with babies admitted to the ICU go through and taught me that they and their babies are true survivors who deserve our empathy and understanding.
Dear mom ICU
I know things didn’t turn out the way you imagined. After all, no mother expects her baby to have to stay in the hospital while she is discharged. The news feels like a cold shower, drenching you in uncertainty and worry. But even though you are going through hard times and difficult days, I want you to know that you are not alone .
Although we cannot experience the emotions that you are experiencing, we see you and understand you. We know that it is not an easy or simple process, because at that moment you are fighting an internal battle: your mind knows that your baby will be in good hands, but your heart is sad knowing that for now they will not be yours .
I know that seeing your baby in an incubator or surrounded by cables is not the image you had in your mind, but right now it is what he needs to move on . Some people may tell you that you should be thankful that your baby is being cared for by the best professionals, but crying and feeling sad is a very valid thing. After all, you are human.
The days in the ICU seem eternal and in that day-to-day wait there are surely many questions and fears running through your head. But you must use that strength that only mothers have and accompany your baby whenever possible. I know that it is not much and that you would prefer to have him at home or close to you 24 hours a day. But you know what? That makes you one of the bravest moms on the planet.
Fortunately, ICU nurses are a very special breed, and more than one will be there to support you emotionally as well. If you look around you, you will also find other mothers on the same path as you , who are together in this difficult process and become one more support, making the days a little more bearable.
Finally, when they are discharged and can go home, you will come out a stronger and braver version of yourself. And in addition to our time and love, that is one of the best gifts we can give our children.
