Full-term babies in NICU: Kate & Joanne’s stories of HIE & feeling “out of place” | S3E41
February is Full-Term Awareness Month, which aims to shed light on the fact that 60% of babies requiring neonatal care are full-term babies. However, for our two guests today, they felt like every other baby in the unit was pre-term, so despite the HIE (Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) events that led to their babies requiring a NICU stay, they found themselves feeling out of place.
Having a full-term baby in NICU often gives the parents a unique set of challenges to deal with – namely invalidation, minimisation and feeling like they shouldn’t be there. In today’s podcast episode, Kate and Joanne share their experiences of the HIE events that led to their babies needing time in NICU, how they handled their time on the unit, and dealing with worries about developmental milestones now that they are out of NICU.
So, whatever has led you and your baby to the neonatal unit – we hope that this episode helps you to realise that you’re not alone in the way you’re feeling, and you can join us in The NICU Space if you find yourself in need of additional support from others who have been there too.
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
- Kate & Joanne’s experiences of their full-term babies’ NICU stays
- The HIE events that led to both their babies’ stays
- Worrying about developmental milestones
- Unique challenges that come with having a full-term baby in neonatal care
- Advice for handling people invalidating your baby’s time in NICU
- Kate & Joanne’s main tips for other full-term NICU parents
Take what you need!
[01:50] Kate’s NICU story
[08:59] Joanne’s NICU story
[14:38] The impact of these experiences
[19:01] Developmental milestone worries
[23:08] Challenges of having a full-term baby in NICU
[30:26] Handling invalidation and minimisation from others
[31:56] What Kate and Joanne wished they knew beforehand
[42:33] Kate and Joanne’s advice for other parents who had full term babies in NICU
A huge thank you to Emma at Cover My Bubble for supporting our podcast - you can find out more about all that Cover My Bubble offer at www.covermybubble.co.uk
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