As a NICU Mother, it Felt Like I’d Failed My Newborn Son
Motherwell, 12-08-2021 https://motherwellma ... wborn-son/
I failed him.
That was the thought that kept invading my mind for the sixteen days my newborn son was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). I failed him, or rather, my body failed him. I was bound to a wheelchair, unable to walk properly due to a semi-urgent C-section where I sustained a double scar. The cord had prolapsed into my cervix, and the baby presented feet first.
“You have an inverted T scar on your uterus. You will be unable to give birth naturally if you decide to have more children. The risk of uterine rupture is too great,” said the young surgical resident who assisted the attending during my C-section. His tone was apologetic, and he was fiddling with his surgeon’s cap in his hands.
More children? This baby was my third child and last. I wasn’t worried about more children. I was concerned about the tiny human alone in an incubator, separated too soon from his mama.