Hearing the news no new parent wants to hear can be devastating. If your newborn has a medical condition, it can feel like the ground has disappeared beneath your feet. Perhaps you knew during pregnancy that challenges lay ahead, or maybe the news of the medical issue of the newborn came as a complete shock after delivery. But either way, it doesn’t matter to the emotional reality of the situation. If this is a reality you’re going through, please let us express our deepest sympathies and let you know that hope is always there.
Keep in mind that it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed, scared, and even angry at the situation, and you shouldn’t chastise yourself for this. These initial days can feel like a blur of medical jargon, specialist appointments, and emotional conversations.
Whatever your situation, remember that feeling unprepared doesn’t make you any less capable of handling this challenge. To help you, please let us provide some actionable simple steps you can take:
Liaise Closely With The Medical Support Team
Your baby’s healthcare team becomes an essential part of your life now, so don’t hesitate to ask questions until you properly understand everything, and ask again if you need to. Keep a notebook on hand to track that medical information so you can refer to it later even if you’re a little tired now – that might include medication schedules, upcoming appointments, and questions as they arise.
Many parents find it helpful to record consultations (with permission) because it’s hard to remember everything in emotional moments too. You can do that on your phone easily enough. Remember that you’re not expected to understand medical jargon immediately, so take up your space and don’t be afraid to ask them to accommodate you. Unfortunately, sometimes that means putting in the request through birth injury solicitors if you suspect malpractice.
Create Your Daily Management System
Getting through every day can seem like a challenge, so do your best to just take it step by step and use the momentum of routine to help you.
This helps apply some predictability to an unpredictable situation. Make it work for your family – perhaps a wall calendar for appointments, medication charts, or a shared digital calendar with your partner can help you plan everything and feel like you’re on top of what to do when.
That also means you can break down complex care routines into manageable steps that feel doable, and simplify other aspects of life as you need. The washing up can wait if you need to focus on learning new care procedures or just having a moment to breathe, so don’t sweat it.
Accept Help and Support
This isn’t the time to prove you can do everything alone. Call in all the help you have, they’ll be more than willing to. That means letting family and friends help with practical tasks like cooking, cleaning, or watching your baby while you shower. It might just be a shoulder to cry on. There are also many support groups for parents in similar situations and they can be amazing – they’ll offer invaluable advice from experience and understand exactly what you’re going through.
If you are struggling to cope with the medical issues of your newborn, then please do seek professional help. There is lots of support out there. With this advice, we hope you can more easily make it through an impossibly tough time in your life and hopefully find a sunnier tomorrow.
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