Bringing Our Preemie Home From the NICU

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Exactly one year ago today, we brought our sweet preemie babe home from the NICU.  We had made it.

An unexpected and traumatic birth, a 10 day hospital stay {plus an eventual ruptured appendix / giant cyst diagnosis} for me, countless heel pokes and tests for our sweet baby, and months of shuttling back and forth to the hospital, pumping around the clock, making late night milk deliveries, and attempting to maintain some sort of normalcy at home for Miss G… They were all behind us.

We were emotionally and physically depleted, but that no longer mattered.  After nearly two and a half months of having to leave our baby at the hospital each night, we got to bring him home.  It was one of the very happiest days of my life.  We were free.  He was ours.  Relief.

I imported these photos and added them to a ‘Bringing Bubba Home’ post shortly after, but something kept me from hitting publish…  It now sounds silly, but I don’t think I was ready to share him just yet.  After two and a half months of him ultimately being in the care of someone else and having every diaper change, every feeding, every bath I did closely supervised and monitored by NICU staff, he was finally mine. I no longer had to share him with a slew of other people.  I was over the moon.

And so, in celebration of one full year with our sweet 27 weeker at home, here’s our very first day with Sam…  It’s not been an easy year, but having both of our babies at home under one roof is the very best feeling in the world.

IMG 7613strapped in and ready

IMG 7614the happiest

IMG 7623bundled

IMG 7626happy tears

IMG 7629‘no more photos, please’

IMG 7637headed home!

IMG 7649ahhhhh…

IMG 7651big bed, tiny baby

IMG 7655baby fingers

IMG 7659snoozing

IMG 7675my bubba

IMG 7683my boys

IMG 7686smush

IMG 7701at peace

IMG 7706those lips

IMG 7715sleepy little nursling

IMG 7719when your baby is as big as a small diaper insert…

IMG 7724first time in a proper crib

IMG 7729perfection

IMG 7730sleeping bub

IMG 7733home from school!

IMG 7735and thrilled

IMG 7738just checking in…

IMG 7743story time 

IMG 7745she waited a very long time for this moment

IMG 7748pure joy

IMG 7753proud big sis

IMG 7757never letting him go

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IMG 7767feeding baby brother… a dream come true!

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7 thoughts on “Bringing Our Preemie Home From the NICU

  1. Thank you for sharing these. Prayed a lot for you during that time. So glad to see him thriving! Blessings on your beautiful family!

  2. You have beautiful children! I am so happy for you that everything turned out so well for your family. I have been following you since your daughter was little. Thank you for sharing the pictures and your story. I did wonder what happened when you were not updating your blog. Once I found out I sent lots of prayers from us in Minnesota. I also had my appendix rupture on the operating table at 27 weeks. I have never been so sick. They were able to stop my labor with heavy drugs and I had bed rest for the rest of my term. I was able to meet the nurse who held my daughter in the sac as the doctor removed the appendix. Not very common but a horrible thing to go through. I love all the ideas you have for teaching your kids. It has been fun watching your daughter grow up. She looks like a great big sister! Many blessings to you and your family.

  3. Thank you for verbalizing something I felt so deeply after we brought our 26 weeker home after 91 days in the NICU – I didn’t want to share him either! Happy 1 year at home!

  4. My daughter is bringing home one of her identical twins in a few days. Born at 26 weeks on Nov 25th at 2.4 pounds and 1.4 pounds. The one they say is ready to come home is still having spells when he eats and we are terrified. They are not sending home any moniters of any kind. Daughter also had a two and a half year old and a nine year old. Has me and husband for help but I still work part time.

    1. Oh, so hard. I’m not sure what it’s like where you all live, but here we just had to trust that they wouldn’t send our Sam home unless they were SURE he was ready. We also wondered if we’d be sent home with any sort of monitor, but our NICU nurses actually really discouraged it. Best of luck to you all and congratulations on the twins!!

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