The day a NICU family goes home from the hospital, without the weight of their new baby in their arms, is a day not easily forgotten. I still remember the morning I left the hospital after my son’s preterm birth: with a commercial breast pump, a NICU wristband and no baby. Ten-weeks, several blood transfusions and a minor surgery later… I finally brought my baby home.
With all of the ‘how to’ about childbirth and parenting circulating online and in our communities, it is almost shocking we don’t share in equal measure what happens after coming home alone – baby-less – or what happens when you do everything ‘right’ according to ‘experts’ and your birth still unfolds in a way never anticipated.
This is where support from a Postpartum Doula may have a major impact on providing emotional support for families. We are present as non-medical, non-judgmental support. We provide evidence-based information, emotional support and referrals for the entire family. We mother the mother and educate the family in the best ways to nurture themselves after the birth of their baby.
A turning point for me during the first week home after my son’s birth, was when my Birth Doula came over and we watched a video together about Kangaroo Care. I hadn’t even held my son yet, but I remember the hope I felt inside when the video ended.
Common concerns and questions from NICU Families:
How may a mother recover from her birth while attending to the needs of her infant in the hospital?
How may the family and newborn bond when they pass so many days and hours apart from one another?
Will my baby know me when the nurses care for them so many hours and I only visit?
Must I visit my baby in the hospital every day?
Will I be able to breastfeed? Do I have to breastfeed?
What happens when I bring my baby home?
These are questions that may be answered in a myriad of ways. As Doulas, we guide families to the resources which; support their decision-making, feelings, ideas, beliefs and goals as a family.
