Post-NICU Anxiety and PTSD
I think, finally, more than 14 months after life changed drastically, we are settling into a routine. Our routine is different than other families, but it’s routine just the same. Instead of knowing every other mom at Eli’s daycare (I know, I’m the worst), we know all the phlebotomists at the children’s hospital. And instead of calling our pediatrician once in a blue moon to schedule a routine well-check, I have our pediatrician’s personal cell phone number and a host of other doctor’s offices on speed dial (endocrinology, ENT, genetics, neurology, orthopedics, and plastic surgery, just to name a few). As life with a child with different needs becomes routine, I am more able to step back and examine my own constantly changing feelings on our life. One thing I have stressed over and over is that I don’t CARE if Eli has dwarfism. He’s my child and I love him no matter what. He is funny, sweet, (sometimes) cuddly, and the strongest little boy I know. And I realize that accepting his dif...