13 Simple Ways to Cope When Your Baby Comes Early
When most of us get pregnant, we prepare the room and think about names. We fret about whether we will have a natural birth or forgo being a hero and befriend the anesthesiologist. Few of us plan ahead for a premature delivery and the chaos it can bring.
According to the March of Dimes foundation, one in nine babies is born premature each year in the United States. The foundation defines preterm birth as a baby born before 37 weeks gestation. As a social worker in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), I am very aware of the impact a premature delivery can have on the whole family. However, when my own baby was born at 26 weeks, l learned firsthand how important self-care was during this difficult time. Below are tips that I used to cope and that I recommend to others.
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