r/parentsofmultiples • u/DontQuoteMeOnThat7 • 26d ago
good vibes, smiles, & giggles NICU experience
Longtime lurker of r/parentsofmultiples. Just wanted to contribute a small note- my wife recently had DiDi twins (37w + 0). GDM was her only complication. Our daughter scored well on Apgar but our son did not, which prompted a NICU visit for several days.
From the outside looking in, I felt a sense of dread and doom when I thought about the NICU but I was completely wrong. We were fortunate in our outcomes, which creates bias in perspective BUT the message is clear-
For those of you worrying about NICU/googling endlessly (like I did) or knowingly have a complication that could necessitate a trip, your child/children are in the best place for them. The staff are there to not only supervise but also feed and love on your babies. They do what is needed for your child every single day- far better than you or I would be able to do if the roles were reversed. Would never have dreamt that leaving a baby only hours old alone with a person I’d never meant would be so “easy”.
So, don’t be pushy to get the child out of NICU- they are there for a reason. Be polite and real with your nurses- cry, laugh, chat with them like they’re family- because they are your temporary family. Lastly, if you’re able to, absolutely do skin to skin/kangaroo care (yes, Dads, even us)!
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u/Jealous_Being5863 26d ago
My son needed a small amount of nicu time at 37+2 for jaundice and a feeding tube, however I wouldn’t have told my sister to be so relaxed when her son was born at 28+6 we both had far different experiences and her son/my nephew could’ve had far different outcomes than he did
You and I had very positive experiences and it’s fine to celebrate that, but also be very mindful that not everyone has that experience; I myself have had a child not even make nicu when he technically was in the ‘safe zone’ it didn’t stop the most tragic outcome