I thought I would try and glean knowledge from our Fashionable Bambino readers this morning. We just learned that friends of ours delivered their first baby via c-section on Monday. His name is baby Huck and he weighed only 1 lb. 8 oz. at 26 weeks gestation. This is the first time we’ve had friends deliver a premature baby, so I wanted to gather ideas from others who have been through the ups and downs of having a preemie baby.
Here are some things I have thought of to help them:
– Mama gets out of the hospital today, so we’d like to deliver a meal care package.
– They have an organic farm, so we hope to help them at the Farmers Market or in the fields a few times.
– I have already emailed them a note when I heard that Mama went into premature labor a couple of weeks ago and I plan to call them today.
But what else can we do? Is there anything? Besides offering up our own prayers that Baby Huck will grow and develop with the best medical help outside of his mama’s womb?
What would you do if it were your friends? Or what kind of help do you think you’d want if you ever found yourself in this situation?
I was just in their position. My son was born at 31 weeks and 4 lbs. We spent a month in the NICU. I imagine they may be there for a longer time. I know when we were in this situation, a phone call, a cooked meal, a clean house, etc. were very helpful and appreciated. I know there were a ton of people who did anything they could for us. Just knowing there are people who are thinking, praying and there if you need them is a great feeling and very helpful in the situation.
I think helping them with their farm is a great way to help them right now, as they will not have the time to tend to it. Just be there for them and do anything you can. They will appreciate it! Good luck to them and congratulations!
I’m an occupational therapist in a hospital and occasionally work in the NICU. I think giving them meals and doing work that they would otherwise be doing is great – more time for them to be with their baby, which is so important for his/her early development. The more time the parents do kangaroo care, the better the baby’s outcome will be. On the practical side, I know NICU nurses tell parents to bring clothes with buttons rather than zippers for while they’re still in the NICU but are large enough to be wearing newborn clothes (lines fit between buttons/snaps but don’t work with zippers very well). On the spiritual side, I think the most loving and helpful thing you can do is pray for their peace and their baby’s health.
Thanks for sharing, Pamela.
Just take good care of their food. If she would be strong she will take care of her premature child. She would be willing to spend more time with her child, so do not hesitate to help her in her work.