The NICU: Dad’s Perspective

If there’s one thing I learned from having my wife in the hospital and my baby in the NICU, it’s strength.

My wife was a beautiful mess, and I don’t blame her one bit; having to sit in a hospital bed while your brand new baby boy was in the NICU connected to all sorts of machines. She couldn’t even go see him for the first few hours after he was born due to her body healing from the c-section. I definitely developed a deeper love and respect for her. She was a beautiful mess.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay at the hospital with her and our baby, as much as I wanted to. That first day back at work was the worst; that entire week was the worst. We also have another son and a dog to take care of…. and there’s a Flemmet, our bearded dragon! Between keeping the house in order, working, staying at the hospital, and taking care of our son, dog, and Flemmet, I was starting to lose my strength.

Only getting to see my wife and my new baby during my lunch break and a few hours at night was getting real tough. But the toughest was yet to come… when my wife got released from the hospital, but our son did not. For 13 days, our little boy had to stay in the NICU. In the grand scheme of things, I know it’s not a long time; but it felt like months. Getting my wife to leave that hospital…. I’ve gotten through some pretty tough situations, but this was definitely number one. Looking back I still don’t know how I did it. If I wasn’t already spent, I was at that point. But we got through it and eventually got to take our beautiful healthy boy home.

Even though giving birth is a million times tougher, and we as men recognize that, keeping life in order is definitely a challenge. But I know it’s my job to take care of my wife and our life, and that’s what I did.