Unfortunately, I cannot offer you one magical exercise or activity that will help you process all that has happened to you in the last few months.

A premature birth can be a life-altering event ? something that can change the person you are and the dynamic of your family.

No matter how long your baby was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), you might feel a series of emotions. Each preemie parent will process their emotions in different ways. Some will take longer than others to process their baby's premature birth. I'd like to offer some advice on how to help yourself heal and move forward.

1. Talk about it. It's not a bad idea to see a therapist after your baby's premature birth. In fact, if you lost a baby or your preemie was discharged with extensive medical needs, I think it is a must. But even if neither of those situations applies to you, talking will still help.

2. Write about it in a diary or journal. I started a journal on a sheet of paper a nurse gave me the night my daughter was born. Days past before I could meet my baby. From my hospital bed, with intravenous lines and bags of blood being pushed into my veins, all I could think about was the fact that my daughter might die before I ever saw her face or felt her touch. This is because my daughter was born at 23 weeks gestation at 1 pound and 4 ounces. Her name is Joy.

3. Blog about it. Blogging can be an easy way to express your feelings without having to say them in person to anyone. You can type away and no one will talk back to you. And you will not be interrupted! Blogging is also an easy way for you to share updates on your baby with family and friends without having to call or email 50 different people.

4. Give back. Sometimes small gestures of donating your preemie?s old blankets or preemie-sized clothing to your NICU can help you process and heal. Some people will collect coloring books or other items to donate to the NICU so that visiting siblings have something to keep them occupied. Other parents are crafty and knit or sew items to give to NICU parents.

5. Volunteer to be a preemie parent mentor. This might be best to do after your baby has been home for at least two years. There are several reasons to wait. First, parents of newly released preemies will be busy with various doctors? appointments and interventions that they will not have enough time to commit. Second, the first year after a preemie is taken home from the NICU is a time where us parents need to keep their baby away from as many germs as possible. You would not want to leave your baby in a daycare center while you mentor, or bring your baby to the hospital either. And you wouldn?t want to bring any germs home from the hospital to your baby.

Πηγή: The Mighty