We are a two-time SBMC NICU family: our oldest daughter, Melanie, was born at 34 weeks and our little one, Cecelia, was born at 30 weeks. Aside from the premature deliveries, both pregnancies had been healthy and uneventful up until the day I went into labor.
With Melanie, I didn’t know what to expect of contractions and labor so I didn’t pay much attention to my earliest contractions and assumed they were third-trimester aches and pains. My husband and I went about our Saturday running errands, doing chores, and napping. Within a few hours; however, the aches and pains were growing stronger and my doctor advised me to head to the hospital. We arrived at SBMC around 6:00 pm and by 9:00 pm, Melanie had arrived. She was 4 lbs., 6 oz. and 17.5 inches long. My husband and I were able to briefly hold Melanie before she was whisked off to the NICU. Melanie spent an uneventful week in the NICU before coming home.
With Cecelia, I did know what to expect of labor, but was still completely thrown when I started having contractions at 30 weeks. Given my history, my doctor sent me to SBMC right away. There, efforts were made to stop my contractions but they were not successful. Cecelia arrived weighing 3 lbs., 12 oz. and was 17 inches long. We were unable to hold Cecelia for the first 72 hours of her life to safeguard against brain bleeds. The four additional weeks I lost from my second pregnancy made a huge difference. Unlike Melanie, Cecelia was hooked up to so many tubes and sensors. Even though we had been through the NICU before, it was a little overwhelming. Cecelia spent six weeks in the NICU, where she had an infection and the flu, and had to learn to eat. Due to having had the flu, Cecelia came home on a breathing monitor, which she used for about a month.
Now three years old and 18 months old, Melanie and Cecelia are healthy, happy, smart, sweet little girls. While it was never something I considered when I chose an obstetrician affiliated with SBMC, I am so grateful to have delivered my girls at a hospital with such a high quality NICU. I have even come to think of our time in the NICU as a blessing in disguise – the “instruction manual” most new parents wish their babies came with. Indeed, both of our daughters came home from the NICU on sleep/eating schedules that were well-established, I received extra help from the NICU lactation consultants and was able to successfully nurse both our girls, and my husband and I participated in new parent classes and infant CPR training, which helped us to feel more confident when we brought our girls home. The support our family received from the SBMC NICU doctors, nurses, and staff was invaluable! Thank you to them all! -Lisa K.
Pictured are Melanie and Cecelia in the NICU and now!
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