Sometimes babies are in the NICU for more than a few days. There are many who only spend 2 or 3 days, but there are also many who spend months or more. Our little bug spent 94 days in the NICU. So, the day he came home was a very, very special day. If you’re a NICU mom, you know exactly what I mean.
Of course, I was thrilled but nervous. We had waited with anticipation for so long to bring him home, but here we were – flying solo with no monitors and no emergency staff. It was one of the best days of my life, but also nerve-racking after months of monitors and a sanitized environment with instant help on hand if something scary happened. We’d pretty much lived at the hospital for months.
They told us two days before his anticipated discharge that we’d be able to bring him home, so we could bring in his car seat for inspection and get everything ready.
As soon as they told us we could take him home, I knew it had to be a day of celebration, not just once but every single year. It was a unique and special day – not as “big” as a birthday, but still very significant. It was a day that special things had to happen, because it was such a special day in our lives. So, we declared it a holiday and call it “Home Day.”
On Home Day, we do something special as a family and we have a fancy bakery cake. The cake is the staple to the celebration and the special event will flex each year.
On our first Home Day, we planted trees to commemorate the day.
This second year, we went to Sesame Street in Seaworld, Orlando (but of course we always have cake).
I don’t know what we’ll do next year yet, but it’s something special. It’s definitely an event I’d recommend to NICU moms. For our precious preemies and strugglers, it’s definitely a well-earned holiday for our little blessings.