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Keeping a Preemie Baby Diary in the NICU

By Menetra D. Hathorn, author of A Mother's Diary: How to Survive the Neonatal Intensive Care Uni

Keeping your sanity is probably the biggest challenge a parent will encounter while trying to survive the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It certainly was for me.

Keeping a diary of your concerns and emotions is great therapy because it allows you to free your mind and say wheat's really weighing on your heart. During an emotionally exhausting ordeal like having a very, premature baby, you think and feel things that may be temporary or purely stress induced, and you may not feel comfortable sharing these thoughts with anyone else. Sometimes talking to your best friend isn't even an option because it opens the door to scrutiny and judgment by another individual who more than likely has never worn a pair of NICU sneakers.

A diary can serve other purposes as well, such as helping you keep up with your preemie's struggles and accomplishments. I attempted to write an entry every day, but as you can see, there are days when you can't bear to write or things get so hectic that you just plain forget!

Taking photos of the baby and her medical nannies are good ideas as well. You may be tired of looking at these people now, but after you baby comes home and you get settled in to your new life together, you will want to share your journey with others and look back to see how far you and the baby have come.


Menetra D. Hathorn is the mother of three children and the author of A Mother's Diary: How to Survive the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the diary of her daughter's stay in the NICU. This list of suggestions for talking to parents of a preemie baby in the NICU is excerpted with her permission. Read our review of A Mother's Diary: How to Survive the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
 

Surviving the NICU - Premature Baby
Surviving the NICU

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Every Preemie Parent Needs to Know
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