Tom (aka @Dad_U on Twitter) is a father to a Preemie daughter and He blogs over at Dad-U.com. At the end, he provides some great suggestions on how to survive the NICU. Many of the thoughts and challanges he expresses are common among Preemie Dads, so pay attention to what he says, it includes some great insights into the struggles of preemie Dads.
The
five weeks that I had a daughter in the NICU were amongst the most
difficult in my life. For acute pain, they were worse than the breakup
of my parents marriage, or death of a grandparent. Our daughter was more
than a month preemie and was tiny. She needed several surgeries in the
following week, including the placement of a feeding line close to her
heart. My heroic wife made three trips to the hospital a day (20 mins
one way) for five weeks. I was left to “hold the fort”, attempt to
remain functional at my job, while supporting the three older siblings.
These were dark times indeed. In the intervening years the memory of the
hardship has faded, but the joy of the “diamond in the rough” moments
remain. I will never forget the kindness of random strangers who could
spot a struggling dad from 30 paces. Nor will I forget the moment that,
four weeks later, little E met her brothers and sister for the first
time. Her eyes widened, she shifted her head, and her virtually-audible
thought was “Oooooh, who are you guys? Are you mine?”
My tips on surviving the NICU (paraphrased from http://dad-u.blogspot.com/
My tips on surviving the NICU (paraphrased from http://dad-u.blogspot.com/
- Seek personal support of a trusted friend or relative.
- Prioritize, survive, and accept lowered expectations around the home.
- Do the little things for your wife.
- Cull unnecessary activities.
- Keep some sense of normality and routine.
- Accept help, especially from a church family if you have one.
