8/12 - Encouraging Moment - Riding the NICU Roller Coaster Ride

The NICU experience is often described by many parents as a roller coaster ride. It is a series of highs and lows, ups and down, times that are exhilarating, uplifting and exciting, followed by times when all you can do is close your eyes and hang on for dear life.

I think it is helpful for parents to realized that they are in for a series of ups and downs, hopefully more ups than downs during their NICU time.

Riding the NICU Roller coaster
This passage comes from Dianne I. Maroney, a NICU Nurse, NICU Parent and owner of the website premature-infant.com. She describes the Roller coaster ride of the NICU:

For years I had been telling parents,

"Having a baby in the NICU is a roller coaster ride."

Although accurate, the analogy pales beside the reality.

The range of emotions is beyond imagining.
There is the moment of joy
when she opens her eyes peacefully,
followed by panic at the slightest hint of trouble.

You can read more from her article on "Helping Parents Survive the Emotional "Roller Coaster Ride" in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit" published on the Prematurity.org site

Photo Credit: Peter Hamza. Rollercoaster. Royalty Free Use.