A long time coming

Kiera and I went to our first class last night hosted by the NICU staff. It was all about "interacting with baby". Before we got started we went around the room introducing ourselves. We shared when our baby was born (what week into the pregnancy), and how old they are right now. 

One woman told us she had twins in her 22nd week and had lost one in the process. I couldn't believe it. I felt so sorry for her and her husband. I started to think about how they must have felt. As she spoke to us I could see her husbands eyes begin to water. 

People have no choice but to be strong. 

The other couples in the room are going through very similar experiences. Their babies might be a little bit bigger than Arabella but we're all going through the same parenting and developmental challenges. 

At such a young age the baby's organs and senses are underdeveloped, so this class was all about parenting with those things in mind. For instance, touch should be gentle, sounds should be soft, and lighting must be dim. They went into such detail about every interaction. 

Babies at 28 to 30 weeks still cannot see you. They won't begin to see you until about week 40+. But they can certainly hear and smell you. So use those things to your advantage as you interact with them. 

Towards the end of the class we learned some holding techniques. Perfect. I was planning to hold Belle after class. I was looking forward to it so much. 

I can't begin to tell you the feeling of having her resting on my chest. Her little fingers brushing along my skin. 

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hold you", I told her.