Real Postpartum: Parenting in the NICU
Sometimes birth plans, expectations and hopes go completely sideways. It can happen suddenly or insidiously. Either way you find yourself in this surreal state of being. Sometimes your little miracle needs support after birth to do basic things we often don’t anticipate: breathing and eating on their own. Sometimes you start your parenting journey in a completely unfamiliar environment: a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
As an experienced NICU nurse, I have a special soft spot for these sessions. I’ve walked alongside countless families navigating the highs and lows of their baby requiring NICU care. What fulfills me most as a NICU nurse is empowering parents to feel safe and confident parenting their baby and to bring the normalcy back into a stressful clinical environment. As a photographer, I get to do that in an artful way. I get to timestamp this moment in time of their lives. To document all the coexisting realities- the grief of losing how you expected first days as a family to look like; trauma from the birth, life saving measures or separation from your baby; the joys of finally holding your baby skin to skin, tiny little hands holding your finger, watching the other parent bonding with your baby; relief in all the little milestones that are moving your baby closer to going home.
This isn’t generally considered a “highlight reel” but I think we lose the opportunity for connection and healing if we only share the “good”. When we share the hard, we feel seen, we feel heard, and we feel supported.
XO, Britt + the rest of the Gather Birth Team
If you’re a NICU parent, please take a look at our favorite resources for families, with both local Twin Cities and virtual options.
