Our little sugar baby

About two hours after birth, Natalie ended up having to go to the NICU for a low blood-sugar count, something that is common in preterm babies. We hoped that she would only be in there for the 24 hours it takes to set up an IV, get her blood-sugar levels up, then ween her off the drip little by little, and then watch her a few hours to make sure she stays stable. Her day nurse and her night nurse were both incredible and treated Natalie with such sweetness. They cared for me too, making sure to call me up whenever Natalie woke.


We were allowed to visit her, feed her, bathe her, change her diaper, anything we wanted while she's in the NICU because her needs are so minimal. Ross and I felt a mix of worry and guilt . . . our little Natalie was in the NICU, but she was by far the plumpest and healthiest of the babies being cared for there. Across from her was one half of a twin duo born at 24 weeks (his brother was two warmers away) . . . they were so small and need so much help that Ross and I had a hard time staying in the NICU if Natalie didn't need something from us.

It was very heart breaking seeing the little ones, and I felt guilty getting to HOLD my baby and FEED my baby in front of the parents who couldn't even touch their children.

And we lucked out even more because as soon as Natalie was put on the IV her blood-sugar went right up to normal. She continued to do beautifully and was able to come back to me after 22 hours.