Oscar was born at 27 weeks in October. With his due date being the 8th of Jan we knew having him home for Christmas was a long shot (“aim for due date, anything before then is a bonus”), but with every step he took in the right direction the more our hopes rose. Unfortunately, his journey was never straight forward and we had to accept that it wasn’t going to happen.
Thankfully we had the amazing Sara from Spoons and the incredible team at Stepping Hill to support us and help us through.
In the run up to Christmas there were quizzes, decorations, Christmas hats (and knitted snowmen), and chocolates. Every effort was made to make Christmas time enjoyable, despite it not being the ideal circumstances. Spoons brought little Christmas packs to the unit which included a reindeer vest and a Malteser reindeer (sorry Oscar, I may have hidden that from you and eaten it myself).
Neonatal care can make you feel quite isolated from the outside world, it was really good to feel acknowledged and know that someone outside of the hospital had your child and others in their minds too (thank you Spoons).
When it came to Christmas day we were nervous, what if we hadn’t made the right decisions on what to do that day? Should we be spending more time at the hospital? Should we be spending more time with family? We decided to spend the morning with one set of parents, then visit the hospital for a while, followed by Christmas dinner at the other set of parents, then back to the hospital. The cherry on the cake was Oscar graduating from special care into the nursery at the end of the day. Thankfully we went to bed feeling like we had made the right decision for our family.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to Christmas and how to spend your time. Like with everything when it comes to neonatal care, you just have to do what is right for your family.
I’m really grateful for the support Spoons offered us at that difficult time, and I’m glad the charity continues to be there for people going through similar experiences. Spoons brings light during the darkness.
To help Spoons to continue to be there for other families at Christmas, you can support by making a small donation here.
