After more than a month in NICU, you start to recognize all the bad signs when a baby is not going to live.
You see doctors and nurses rushing.
You see parents crying at bedside all day and all night.
You see them in the same clothes as yesterday, and the day before.
You see the social worker visiting them.
Next you see the chaplain.
You see the baby being carried out quietly to another room.
Probably where the baby will spend the final few hours in the arms of the parents.
You see an empty bed space.
You see the baby's name tag taken away.
Even with today's advanced medicine, there are babies who will never get to go home with their parents. Babies who arrive too early and have to be intubated and poked from the beginning to the end of their short lives. Babies who will never know the warm loving touch of their mom and dad. Even in one of the best hospitals in the country, we still fail them.
My heart aches...
Emilia was born on May 31, 2011, at 25 weeks and 5 days in gestational age. She came home on October 21, 2011 after spending 143 days in the hospital. Today she's a thriving, happy baby who continues to amaze us every single day. This blog records the journey of our miracle baby.
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