Mommy Peace

September is NICU Awareness month. Most parents don't receive any warning that a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) stay is imminent. Preemies can be born from 22 weeks to 37 weeks gestation, and sometimes even full term babies may need the neonatal care that only a NICU can provide. Rest assured, mama or daddy. Your little one is in excellent hands. Having a loved one in ICU is always scary and causes worry. When it is your brand new baby, the fear is unimaginable. When my son arrived early at 30 weeks, I had not even had my baby shower yet. The few things I had picked up were not going to fit his under 3 pound body, and did babies this small even wear clothes yet? A wonderful friend gave me the gift of a fully-stocked diaper bag the day after my son's birth because we had just had a chat over dinner a few days before about how I had positively no clue what all you put in those giant diaper bags. Needless to say, much of those wonderful things were not quite right yet f...

Hello again. You may find my posts very sporadic for a few months yet. I'm finishing up a degree program, and then have plans to prepare for an intense professional certification. I'm still passionate about Mommypeace blog, and sharing my preemie parent experience. School started back for us three weeks ago. As we embarked on our journey into first grade and it's joys and tribulations, I found myself reflecting on the very first time my son attended preschool. At 6, this will be his fourth year of school outside our home. Backstory Our son was a 30 weeker. He was born smack dab in the middle of RSV season and the major winter weather month where we lived. After his weeks in the NICU, we had originally thought going home meant family gatherings, church, shopping and introducing our kid to the world, our world. NOPE. Our final few days in the NICU consisted of first aid and CPR videos, more training on baths, how to feed and deal with reflux, car seat te...

One of our preemie's struggles is with gaining weight and maintaining a healthy BMI and growth curve. We struggled with it in the NICU to the point that they did extra rounds of metabolic testing just to be safe. We have been tested and retested and had care teams from both Cincinnati Children's Hospital and The Children's Hospital in New Orleans check our little guy out and help us with strategies. I'm going to share some of our family's strategies, but please make sure you take any nutritional plans and discuss them with your child's pediatrician or care team. What works and doesn't work for my son may not work for yours and vice versa. 0 -  24 months High Calorie Infant Formula Acid Reflux Medication Delayed Solid Food Introduction Doc Brown Formula Mixing Pitcher  During this time period, all of his bottles and then drinks were made with purified water and a high calorie Neosure formula mixture. My son also suffers from GERD, but not ...

Why did I choose this name? My definition of mommypeace is the feeling you get when a small child asks you to snuggle. You grab a blanket, maybe a book, and a pillow. You find a nook to sit in, and the little one does that thing that only small children can do. They sit just right in the crook of your arm, and they snuggle that head of sweet smelling hair into your neck. You place a kiss on the top of their head, and both of you sigh. Mommy. Peace. Contentment. Joy. Fulfillment. This is the dream of all mothers. We know that real life can be HARD, no matter the circumstances of your family. Sometimes the journey into motherhood starts off scary, messy, and with fear. This is the reality for many preemie moms, moms of children with birth defects or other medical conditions. I hesitated to share this picture from my son's NICU photo shoot. I didn't have my hair and makeup done. My nails look terrible because my child had been in the NICU for 6 weeks, and I could'v...