Meredith | Welcome to Germany: A 2X NICU Mom's Tips for NICU Awareness Month

Hey mama. A NICU hospital stay is like stepping into another world – one where there are a whole lot of questions. What do these medical terms mean? What are these numbers? How do you advocate for yourself and your baby? In the midst of worrying about your child's health and wellbeing, you're wondering about all of this. It's a lot. That's why this episode is for you…

I planned to share my experience and the experiences of others during NICU Awareness Month, but September came and went and content didn't get out (if anyone understands that, it's y'all!). Now we're back and our guest, Meredith, returns for a third time for season three's special episode celebrating NICU awareness.

Meredith has four children, including two with disabilities, one with cerebral palsy, and another with down syndrome. We bonded over things like medical trauma and PTSD, and being two-time NICU moms.

"You've been thrown into a situation where you need to celebrate the fact that your baby's life has been saved. Yet, you're so sad because you didn't get the cute pictures of your baby after they were born, you know? So you have to be able to share that with somebody. And there are other people who get it." – Meredith

In this episode, Meredith discusses what emotions she felt during her second NICU stay and why it was so different from her first one.

Here's what Meredith discussed that you do not want to miss:

• Welcoming Meredith (4:17)
• A quick recap (5:55)
• First NICU stay for a military family (9:48)
• Hospitals in the US vs hospitals abroad (17:59)
• Atypical vs. typical births (27:15)
• Entering a special needs lifestyle in a foreign country (33:10)
• The medical system in the US and abroad (35:05)
• Two-time Nicu moms share their advice (38:58)
• Advice for those who know someone in the NICU (41:53)
• What gives Meredith hope (45:12)

The NICU is an emotional valley where all you want is to hold your baby and go home without monitors or numbers. It's a difficult and painful journey, but it's also one of hope. And I hope today's episode with Meredith helped you see that even in the midst of something like this, you have other NICU moms to support you. What was your experience like or what advice would you give to other NICU moms? Let me know in the When Autumn Comes Society or send me a DM on Instagram! I'd love to hear about how this helped you.

Catch up with Suz:

Instagram

When Autumn Comes:

WAC Instagram

WAC Facebook Page

WAC Society Facebook Page

Links and resources:

Meredith: Part One – God's Puzzle Pieces

Meredith: Part Two – The Feast

WAC is a program of the Apricity Hope Project

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss out on our upcoming stories from other members of our medical and disabled community.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review so we can reach more 4 am moms with medically complicated, rare, beautiful children.

Top 3 tips from this episode:

• Learn how to navigate the NICU
• Discover why community is so important
• Find out what to say – and what not to say – to NICU moms