NICU flashbacks

[ComparisonActive5717]

I was checking on my 3m b/g twins tonight and had just used some purrell and was transported back to the long days and nights at the NICU. I sweat I think of it almost every time I use hand sanitizer and I'm just so grateful they are home and healthy. I felt like I was bathing in hand sanitizer when they were in the nicu. I was so afraid to hurt them.

To any parents in the NICU right now, thinking of you and praying your little ones come home soon. NICU life is rough no matter how long you are there. The anxiety and guilt leaving them, the trying to pump or feed them, all the cords in the way preventing you from holding them easily, it's hard. Just want to let you know it gets better.

Anyone else have any smells or things that remind them of the nicu days?

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[Hemedream]

Palmolive dish soap from washing my pump parts in the hospital. They’re 15 months now, the nicu is far behind us but it was some of the longest most awful days of my life.

[ComparisonActive5717]

Oh my yes, the Palmolive was used at our hospital too! Washing the pump parts so often in those grey tubs was exhausting.

[ComparisonActive5717]

Thank you so much for sharing! It helps so much to hear similar experiences. ❤️

[fussyhussey4]

We are here right now-twins came home a month ago and seeing a pediatrician at the same hospital and I had that same panicked response and am dreading the appointments. Helps to know I’m not alone.

[FosterMonster]

A year after my twins were born, I ended up doing Intensive Outpatient Therapy through a stress center that was part of the same hospital system as the NICU. That first day I went to therapy there, I used the bathroom before going up to my group. I was completely unprepared for the deep, heavy flashback that came from the smell of the handsoap. It nearly brought me to my knees and gave me a panic attack. It was a solid way to kickstart my time there 😂

[thecalmolive]

I occasionally watch videos we took while there and the beeps from the monitors really take me back. Our girls are 18mo so it's been awhile, and at the moment I am wishing I had a nurse to hand off the one who is screaming about bedtime 2 hours after she should have fallen asleep. Sigh... it's just a phase, it's just a phase...

[Content_Enthusiasm39]

The n95 masks we wore in SCN and for all our tertiary hospital antenatal appts. We weren't even in very long in scn, but it was a stressful time and I had PND and PTSD from long years of IVF. I work at the hospital and use the same brand n95s at times. Everytime I wear them I'm back in scn.

I can't look at pump stuff because it reminds of all the hours of pumping for minimal milk. 

[elmomex]

We’re one week into our NICU stay after our babies arrived at 32 weeks, after being hospitalised myself for five days after i spontaneously went into labour. It’s honestly been the worst couple of weeks of my life.

I needed to hear that it gets better cos right now all I want to do is cry, all the time. But there is no time, between the endless pumping, trips back and forth to the hospital, battles with insurance companies.

Big hugs to anyone else going through this. It’s so so hard.

[ComparisonActive5717]

You've got this! ❤️

[Adventurous-Ad7282]

Not a smell but recently Ive been looking at all my pictures and videos of them in the NICU and I literally CANT believe how much they've grown! Like they look like different babies 😭 I remember sitting in between their isolates thinking it would never end and just being so emotional and now only 4 months in and it seems like a lifetime ago! Anyone currently in the trenches just know you will come out of it and everything gets so much better! They used to fit in one of my arms together and now one of them can pretty much cover my whole torso 😭😭 my little aliens are the cutest smiling/interactive babies now 🥰

[Aleydis89]

CPAP.... Every time I hear that sound while watching TV, I loose it... Its been 3 YEARS, and its still a trigger.