Texas Children's Blog

When Texas Children's was preparing to open the new Women's Pavilion this spring they started a blog that I've really loved reading!  Today's post really hit close to home for me.  The woman writing the blog post, Angela, is also a mom of a preemie.  I love hearing from other preemie mommies that they had some of the same feelings that I experienced.  Gordon and I didn't have a "normal" birthing process.  We didn't have a normal pregnancy.  I am so grateful for my precious little angel baby but man did Gordon and I worry, worry and worry some more!  I cried when I visited my friend who had a full term baby 2 weeks after me.  When I walked in the room and her baby boy was in the crib next to her with all of their family surrounding them my heart broke.  I was happy for her but just so sad that William couldn't always be with me....that I didn't get to hold him until he was 5 hours old and even then it was only for 30 minutes, that the doctor didn't lay him on my chest when he was born like I'd always envisioned, that I couldn't breast feed him.  BLESSED.  That's what Gordon and I are.  We got through some tough times together and we have a healthy baby boy.  It doesn't get any better than that.  I know we are lucky but there were still times I felt kinda sad...sad that my baby had to go through so much....that he was in pain and I couldn't fix anything.
So, I thought I'd post this just in case there is a mama out there reading it that could relate to this situation!!

My favorite part of the article:

Like many parents of hospitalized newborns, my husband, Alan, and I had a very different introduction to new parenthood than what had been described in all of the pregnancy books that I began devouring as soon as I learned we were pregnant. Having a baby that was so premature meant that we would not cut an umbilical cord, I would not hold my baby after he was born, and one of the most devastating things to me initially was learning I would not breastfeed Clark for weeks or possibly months.

As a tiny newborn, he was still growing and learning what most babies have the benefit of doing within their mothers’ protective wombs.

*G did get to cut William's umbilical cord :)

Here's the link to the TCH BLOG:

http://connect2teams.texaschildrens.org/teams/3/BW/default.aspx

XOXO to all those NICU families out there!!! 

Here are a few photos that Alison took when I was meeting William for the first time!

1st diaper change