DO:
- Offer to bring dinner - when Olivia was in the NICU, it was so life giving to not have to worry about meal planning and worrying about what we’d eat each day.
- Ask about my baby - it shows you care! Just because she’s in the NICU doesn’t mean I can’t show you cute pictures of her drowning in her onesies or learning how to eat. The milestones may just look different.
- Understand how much your support is appreciated.
- Ask when she’s coming home. We have no idea and things can change so fast.
- Judge me after discharge when I choose to stay home with my baby instead of going out - we’re just trying to keep our baby safe from all the big germs and don’t want to send them back to the hospital
- Assume the journey is over just because she’s home - it’s not. In fact, oftentimes, it’s just getting started. Years if follow up appointments and possible therapies.