Bed rest is nooooo fun! I was on it for about 2.5 months with the twins. Agonizing!!! And I also know it's weird to do a NICU stint with a larger baby. It just feels like they should go home! My first was 8 pounds, 2 ounces (born at 34 weeks! and yes, I did get GD). She was twice the size of some of the babies there! It was odd.

I'm glad you guys are all doing great now. Some pregnancies are just... work...

My youngest was in the NICU for a couple of weeks after her birth for PPHN. She wasn't a preemie either, scheduled C-section with resulting respiratory distress.

I've written a free eBook "For Those Who Hold the Littlest Hands" thats a resource for other NICU parents. The information to download this complimentary eBook are in the NICU section of this website.

She was transferred on Easter morning after a blessing from a Spiritual Care Director. You can read his thoughts in the online article "Healing Blessing in the Intensive Care Nursery." Ironically Jurgen himself became a NICU parent following the birth of his second.

Our NICU experiences were used as an example of blessings and healing at the beginning of life in "Spiritual Dimensions of Hospice Care: Blessings, Dreams and Storytelling." This Video was the first of a 3-part series produced by Kaiser Permanente for a 2002 Clinical Video Conference. The series is still available.