Preparing for changes at home
Everyone’s home is different, but here are some common challenges that families face after their baby is born extremely premature.
You can listen to two different family experiences below.
Sofia: We had to remodel our home, since it’s impossible to carry Santiago and all his equipment up the stairs.
We made a lot of changes, probably twenty thousand dollars’ worth of remodeling, so that he wouldn’t be confined to just one room. We also had to make space for the home nurses, so we could feel like we have some privacy.
We needed to buy a bigger car. Even our electricity bill went up, which is not something we expected.
We thought we could reuse things from our daughter, but her stroller didn’t have room for Santiago’s ventilator and feeding pump. We had to cut holes in his clothing to make room for the G-tube, and you can’t use anything with a zipper.
These are things you just don’t think about until it becomes reality. This is just our new normal.
We are thankful we had the resources to make all of the changes we needed to.
Dara: There’s nothing that can prepare you for your baby never coming home from the hospital.
I had trouble sleeping, yet I had to force myself to get out of bed. I could just cry at the drop of a hat. I was angry, because I still showed signs of pregnancy, but didn’t have a baby.
One of my friends was able to come to our house and put the baby items in storage before we got home, which was so nice of her. Our friends were great through this time, always checking up on us. I am so glad we took pictures and have the memory box.
At the time, it seemed like it would make me more sad, but now I am so thankful that I have that. Kai and I really leaned on each other in this time, and I think it made our marriage stronger.