Premature Baby - An Emotional Journey

The birth of a child is an amazing thing. For most parents, it is an experience filled with joy and elation. For some, though, it is a time filled with stress and apprehension, especially when it's a premature birth.

My wife Lori and I recently experienced first hand the emotional roller coaster ride after having our daughter Caitlin six weeks early. In the best case scenario, a preemie will just need a few extra days to adjust to life outside the womb; however, in many cases, the baby experiences complications that need additional care before coming home.

Our little girl had a severe intestinal infection, which was diagnosed as Necrotizing Enterocolitis. Her condition also caused a series of related complications, which ultimately kept her in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 23 days after being born.

During the experience, I wrote a series of blog posts to try and capture the essence of what our family went through.

Introducing Baby Caitlin
Premature Labor - Dealing With the Unexpected
Premature Birth - Not Quite the Joyful Experience
Premature Hope - The Calm Before the Storm
Premature Confidence - The Long Fall Down
Premature Panic - Hitting Rock Bottom
Premature Heartache - Darkness before Light
Premature Doubt - Emotional Overload
Premature Anguish - A Repeat Performance
Premature Distraction - Both Kids Get Sick
Premature Patience - Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
Premature Relief - Our Preemie Comes Home!

Writing these posts was one of the hardest yet most therapeutic things I've ever done. I have a tendency to shut down when stressful things happen to me, but I tried not to do that this time. I tried to remain open and channel all of the positive thoughts and energy sent to me from friends, family members and readers to our little Caitlin, who needed all the love she could get.

There were times when Lori and I thought that we couldn't handle one more thing going wrong, but then we'd get a phone, e-mail, Twitter message or blog comment letting us know we weren't alone. It's amazing how powerful small amounts of encouragement can be when you really need them.

Every bit of love shared with us was passed on to Caitlin too! And, look at her now, you would never know that there was anything wrong. She is truly a fighter, and I am so proud of her!

Thank you all very much! We sincerely appreciate every little thing done to make this emotional journey bearable. I'll be sure to keep you updated on Caitlin's life as she grows into a happy and healthy little girl!