Your Child's Voice by Cynthia Lockrey

Author:Cynthia Lockrey [Cynthia Lockrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FAMILY &ELATIONSHIPS / Children with Special Needs, HEALTH & FITNESS / Children's Health
Publisher: Self-Counsel Press
Published: 2018-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

4. Connect with Other Parents

Thankfully, I learned early on the value of connecting with other parents going through a similar journey when I was hospitalized for two months on bed rest while I was pregnant with my son. I wrote about that too, in Bed Rest Mom (Self-Counsel Press, 2018). Although I had previously spent three months on bed rest while pregnant with my daughter, it was a home-based bed rest and an isolating experience. However, when I was diagnosed once again with placenta previa (placenta covering the cervix) during my pregnancy with my son, my obstetrician (OB) took no chances, and sent me to a large teaching hospital more than an hour from my home.

After a few days of sitting and crying in my room wondering how I was going to get through my six-week stay, I decided to try and connect with other women on my floor. I did this by going door to door with another mom and organizing a pizza party in the common room for the other pregnant women on our antenatal (high-risk pregnancy) unit.

This was the best thing I ever did for my mental health and personal well-being. Over the next few weeks, our group of moms spent countless hours laughing, crying, sharing stories, supporting each other during difficult times, and connecting as mothers and people. Having spent one bed rest at home alone and a second bed rest surrounded by women going through a similar experience, reminded me of the importance of not only connecting with others, but more importantly, spending time with people going through a similar journey.

None of us was your typical pregnant woman, working up to our due date, having low-risk pregnancies and deliveries or heading home hours after giving birth. Rather we were a group of women with conditions that were potentially life threatening to our babies and us. We were grateful for every additional day of pregnancy, knowing that our babies could be born at any moment. Sadly some of the babies never made it home with their parents, passing away in utero or shortly after entering the world.

When I did finally bring my son home after he spent two weeks in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it was these same women who I had spent time with in the hospital that I leaned on the most when I was having rough days. We used Facebook as our main way of sharing questions, concerns, and successes, since most of our babies were born preterm. While I had friends who had also recently given birth, their pregnancies were relatively uncomplicated and their stories of their babies sleeping through the night were something I couldn’t relate to, and quite frankly, made me unfairly resent them.

As my son has grown and our list of treatments, medical appointments, and tests has increased, I continue to find it very valuable to connect with parents on a similar journey. This will also serve you well as these connections will play a critical role in supporting you as you advocate for your child.

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