The NICU and P.T.S.D.
Posted on August 26, 2009
One of the women from my Pregnancy & Beyond support group recently gave birth to premature twins. At first, her babies were eating and growing well. A couple of weeks ago, I received a phone call from Angela that her daughter wasn’t doing well. The doctors had diagnosed her little girl with NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis). This is the same preemie disease that one of my daughters had. My heart goes out to Angela and her family as I know all to well how long the road is going to be for Angela and her daughter.
Today, a friend of mine sent me an article about the lasting effects of having a premature baby; For Parents on NICU, Trauma May Last. My eyes teared up as I read that the trauma from having a premature baby is now being recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.). Years ago I had an argument with someone that I thought I had P.T.S.D. and they told me that I was wrong because P.T.S.D. only results from war, rape, etc.
Thank you, Laurie Tarkan, for your article. I’ve already forwarded it to a few of my friends who will be able to relate.
» Filed Under Premature Births, Resources
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2 Responses to “The NICU and P.T.S.D.”
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Hi Kelly,
I’m glad my article has been helpful to you. I am actually doing a followup article for a magazine on vulnerable child syndrome and am looking for parents/kids who may have symptoms of this. Do you qualify or do you know anyone?
thanks so much,
Laurie
Kelly,
I am glad to have found your website. I have a very similar experience as yours, or maybe worse. I went through several failed IVF cycles, finally decided to give up and relocate to NY (was working in Tokyo). I tried my last cycle with Dr T at NY SIRM in Dec 09 and got pregnant with twin boy and girl. Since I only found out I was pregnant after my work relocation had started, I moved country, job and apartment while 3 months pregnant with twins, my husband still had to work in Tokyo so I was alone. I had a problem with 12 week screening test so needed to do amnio test which turned out to be fine. My pregnancy was fine until 25.5 weeks and then I was bleeding heavily and was hospitalized with preterm labor. I stayed at the hospital on bedrest for another 6.5 weeks hoping to make it to 36 weeks. My doctors kept wanted me to go home at 32 weeks although I didn’t feel comfortable and ironically I gave birth via c-section right on 32 weeks. My twin boy fell sick with NEC on the 10th day after birth (I wonder if the hospital feeding schedule was too aggressive….) and had surgery to resect 10cm of his ileum. My girl stayed at NICU for 19 days and my boy stayed total 39 days. He still has the ostomy bag now and will have another surgery for reattachment next month (3 months after first surgery). During all these, my first dog (she is like my first baby) was diagnosed with mast cell tumour (cancer). It has been a very challenging time and it was heart-broken when my girl first went home (which was and should be a happy event) without my boy, who was recovery from surgery. I had been feeling so guilty and sad about my premature delivery and thought perhaps I didn’t drink enough water, or I didn’t insist staying in Tokyo instead of moving to NY after I found out I was pregnant, or maybe I worked too hard (with my new job) that had caused my twins premature birth and thus my twin boy’s NEC illness. They are now both home over 3 weeks and thriving, so I am relieved and happy, they are so cute and I cherish my time with my twin babies everyday, but still I can’t help but think what I had done wrong during the pregnancy. I hope this feeling will go away some day.