First Time Visiting the NICU? A New Mom’s Honest Experience and Tips

My first time visiting the NICU coincided with my first pregnancy — a journey I never imagined I’d be on. I want to be as transparent and emotionally open as possible, because I hadn’t even considered the possibility that my baby might end up in the NICU. I’m pretty sure I had read something somewhere about this side of pregnancy and motherhood, but it never really registered.

At 27 weeks, I was put on bed rest after experiencing PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes). After three weeks of waiting and worrying, I finally gave birth at 30 weeks.

My labor and delivery were incredibly traumatic — something I hope never to experience again. By the time the medical team came to check me, I was fully dilated and ready to push.

They whisked me away naked on a bed with such urgency — unlike other women in labor, who were taken in chairs.

Once in the delivery room, they tried to convince me to take the epidural. I didn’t see the point, considering I was fully dilated and felt the worst was over. I kept refusing. They explained they needed to turn the baby (he was breech) to avoid complications and suggested the epidural was necessary. Eventually, I gave in and took it.

During labor, I was given so much epidural that I couldn’t feel my lower half longer than expected, and I spent a lot of time shivering.

My little preemie was born early one afternoon, and I didn’t get to see him until the early morning the next day.

The next morning, the first thing I wanted to do was see my baby. Luckily, I had given birth vaginally, so I put on my slippers, nightgown, and diaper and headed to the NICU.

When I arrived, I was instructed to put on a disposable gown and mask — this was during COVID, which made an already difficult situation even harder.

I was nervous, to say the least.

Even though I knew I was likely to have an early birth after losing my amniotic fluid, I hadn’t really prepared myself for the NICU experience. It felt like I was walking in blind.

I was also anxious because they had whisked my baby away so quickly after birth that I hadn’t seen him at all. I wasn’t even sure who to look for.

I approached the care team, gave them my son’s name, and told them I was there to see him.