Our NICU Journey
The twins came 10 weeks early. The doctors did all they could to try and prevent them from coming so early, but my son was not interested in hanging out, in such close proximity, with his sister anymore! Naturally, they had a bit of a stay in the NICU, five weeks; however, to everyone’s surprise, they got out at 35 and 36 weeks.
Doctors and nurses swore they would never get out before 36 weeks and to expect them to stay there until their 40 week mark, but our daughter actually came home at 35 weeks, which I was told was near impossible. What can I say, she’s stubborn, determined, and strong willed. My husband I were so impressed and proud she was able to beat the standard and come home at an unheard of time. The nurses and doctors told us that in order for the twins to go home they’d have to complete a checklist essentially, and I inquired about if they completed it before 36 weeks could we take them home. We were informed that in theory that could happen but it would be nearly impossible. Our daughter made it happen and our son came home just a couple of days later.
If you’re a NICU, or potentially a future NICU mom, or just a mom interested in the topic because you were blessed to bring your little one straight home then I have the scoop on our experience.
Our Daily Routine
How I Coped
The Effect It Had On Our Marriage
Our Daily Routine
At the time, my husband was working right down the road from the NICU, praise Jesus, so we came up with a plan that was super beneficial to us at the time. I would drive him to work in the morning, go see the twins, go home and get some stuff done around the house to prepare for their homecoming, and then pick my husband back up and we would see the twins together. It allowed us to get more time together and see our children daily. The twins came so early and I was on bedrest most of my pregnancy so I really didn’t have a chance to do any nesting while I was pregnant, so that is one silver lining to the NICU stay. I was able to recover and heal from my C-Section while they were in the NICU too, so in a lot of ways it was beneficial but more than anything it was emotionally challenging.
How I Coped
The day we left the hospital, even though I was prepared through most of my pregnancy that the NICU might be inevitable, I cried for HOURS. I balled my eyes out for so long that my dad and husband even got tickled at me and made me laugh about it. I literally COULD NOT STOP. Between hormones and leaving the babies I was a WRECK, ya’ll. The first five days of my son’s life we couldn’t hold him and we had to keep our touching him to a minimum, so leaving the hospital without ever even holding my son did a number on my emotional state as well. Everyday I focused hard on my quiet time with God, getting the house ready, and recovering. I probably over did it because I reorganized the entire house in those five weeks. I would spend my mornings at the hospital with the twins but at first my daughter could only be held once a day, so I would wait until my husband got off and we would hold them together and it was the same once my son was able to be held. One night I would hold our daughter and he our son and then we would alternate daily. The nurses were all extremely kind and informative, and I am forever grateful for them. The time passed slowly but my entire house was organized and once they got home they were able to have my full attention. We also brought their dirty clothes home, once they were able to wear them, for our dogs to sniff in preparation to meet them.
The Effect It Had On Our Marriage
The rides together in the morning and the evening were so nice, because my husband worked a lot at that time. The emotional toll we experienced with being separated from our twins brought us so much closer together. I always say that was one of the highest points of our marriage. We have a wonderful marriage, don’t get me wrong, but our emotional connection really soared. We have a wonderful support system but we really leaned on each other. We spent a lot of time together going up to the hospital on his days off too. We would sit with the twins together and the four of us would talk and have family time. For a bit they could only be held for so long each day, but once they were able to be held longer we would spend hours on his days off holding them. My husband was also extremely caring while I healed from the procedure. I feel like emotional times really either bring people together or tear them apart, and I am fortunate that it brought us to another level in our marriage.
