Born 105 days too soon; This is Arlo’s 200 day fight for life, through the NICU and beyond…

September is Neonatal Intensive Care Awareness Month.

Many people will thankfully never have to experience the NICU. They’ll never have to go home and leave their brand new baby, their whole reason for being, in the hands of strangers. Never have to change their very first nappy through the portholes of an incubator, terrified of disturbing the maze of tubes and wires. Never have to register their baby’s birth without the baby. Never sit beside a Baby Therm listening to the mechanical whoosh of a ventilator, terrified that every artificial breath could be their baby’s last. Never experience the fear, the sadness, the guilt and the overwhelming emptiness of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

But then they’ll also never experience the sheer unimaginable joy to be found in the NICU. Watching your baby’s eyes open for the first time. That long awaited first cuddle. Seeing their face without tubes for the first time. First suck feed. First bath. First clothes. The most mundane things that become magnificent milestones for a poorly baby. Those caring ‘strangers’ becoming your heroes. Hearing the magic words; ‘CRP is normal!’ (My favourite . Celebrating every ml of feed increased, every gram gained, every line removed and breathing support decrease with more excitement than a lotto win. Creating bonds for life in the parents room. Sharing in the happiness of every single neomate’s progress. The friendship, the laughter, the love, the hope 

#NicuAwarenessMonth

#NICUawareness #NICUAwarenessMonth #NECawareness #NecrotisingEnterocolitis #Prematurity#25weeker #PreemiePower #NHS

Written by Laura Watson for her blog, The Adventures of Arlo River.