This post is sponsored by Carter’s on behalf of Everywhere Agency; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am really excited to tell you about something I was part of last week. I was so honored to work with Carter’s to bring a generous donation of clothing and gift cards to parents in the NICU at Seattle Children’s Hospital. November is Prematurity Awareness Month, with November 17th marking World Prematurity Day and as a mom of preemies and NICU graduates born in Seattle, I was so thankful to be able to pay it back a bit for all the gratitude we feel for the time we spent being cared for by our heroes in scrubs.
It’s now over 10 years ago that my twin guys spent 4 and 6 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit right after they were born. I’ve forgotten a lot of what we went through back then but when I look at pictures I still remember the helplessness and fear that I had and how it felt so completely opposite to the portrait of new motherhood I had dreamed of for this stage. Before the babies came, I lived in the hospital for over a month and a half on bedrest and for someone already a little overwhelmed at the idea of becoming a mom (and someone who was a bit claustrophobic) I found this all pretty scary and intense. But it is also incredible where we find strength to get through tough things. It was so helpful to read blogs and stories from other families going through the same things while we went through our time in the hospital. I appreciated having a support group at the hospital for parents going through the NICU too. And it was heart-saving that there was a clothing closet of preemie clothes to borrow and a parents’ room that we could stay at for a couple nights a week so we could be nearer to our babies and not have to go home without them all the time.
Carter’s made the first clothes I bought for my kids. I wish they had these adorable jungle designs with sloths( do you love sloths too?) on them back then. But I was so thankful to have a clothing brand that actually made small enough clothes for my guys and clothes that were cute and comfortable. Now Carter’s has over 70 styles in their preemie line and has adapted details based on a lot of input from NICU nurses. They have clothing with hook and loop closures and plastic snaps and they’ve made preemie collection hats that fit smaller babies. These thoughtful touches are so helpful for babies in the NICU and their caregivers and it’s so easy and quick to be able to order these clothes online.
In the basket I dropped off at Seattle Children’s Hospital there were a variety of Carter’s preemie and newborn bodysuits and blankets for the NICU families. I was invited to write messages to the families who were receiving the gifts to let them know another NICU mom was thinking of them and I had no idea what to say at first. Being in the NICU is so different for every family and there are so many ups and downs. I ended up collecting a few quotes that I had seen on a variety of NICU support sites that spoke to my heart: “From a tiny spark might burst a mighty flame.” “All great things have small beginnings” and a few others. As I wrote them out I hoped that maybe like fortune cookies sometimes just the right quote might make it to just the right family who might find these words helpful.
And because life with now sporty, active 10 year old boys means a fast-paced, busy schedule and I also wanted them to participate a bit in this project, I had my NICU graduates help spell check and put together the envelopes to put in the bundles. This project allowed me to chat with my guys about their early days and we went through many old pictures together for the first time. Sometimes I’m sad that fear shaped so much of my first days of motherhood. But in so many ways I’m also oddly thankful now that we went through such trauma because it forced our little family to become a team from the start-their arrival was a complete upheaval of the life we knew before. I didn’t get to hold one of my guys for days after he was born and I was reminded to be more affectionate. Because I watched helplessly as my two teeny babies each solitarily fought to overcome milestone after milestone in the NICU-breathing on their own, feeding without a tube, basking in the glow of Bili lights-I knew how strong they were from the start and how determined in life they can be. We were forced to acknowledge the fragility of life as a new family and we have never taken our days for granted. Being in the NICU at the beginning of life made us resolved to show our kids the world; it’s a huge reason why we travel so much as a family and try to adventure as much as we can.
I am so thankful for Carter’s for including me in this campaign because I was reminded about our time in the NICU and it’s been a while now and it felt so good to go back and give back. While I was at Seattle Children’s Hospital I learned that they have many needs including these blankets that families can help make and drop by and this is something I can totally make with my now 10-year-old NICU graduates too. I love that Carter’s has been so supportive of NICU families and it’s inspired me to see what else I can do to give back more.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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