I’ve just started Chapter 16.
Stella has stabilized and started on breastmilk.
Donny is out of state for business.
Kate is taking life one minute at a time.
Things are progressing along as they should.
But life can change with no warning.
And it doesn’t even ask for permission.
Max starts crying.
Kate Hoppers book, Ready for Air has transported me back into the NICU. The sound of my child in distress makes adrenaline rush through my veins. My chest is tight. I feel short of breath. I jump out of bed.
Wait a minute. I’m not in the NICU. This is real life.
Max is having a nightmare.
When I first found out that Kate was writing this book, I was so excited to read it. Partly because I’d reviewed Use Your Words: Writing Guide for Moms and loved her writing style and partly because I hoped that someone would understand what it’s like to be me. If even for a minute.
In this book, Kate bares her soul and the power of her words remind me that someone understands what it’s like to have a high risk pregnancy, daily life in the NICU and go on to survive.
Fours years later and the sound of Max’s crying brings out the same sights, sounds and feelings of those 8 weeks in the NICU. They haven’t gone away. I’m not sure that they ever will. They are a part of The Kids life. My life.
I feel comfort in knowing that I’m not alone.
If you know of anyone that has gone through a similar experience or had an ill child, this book may provide some insight into what they are feeling and thinking and how best you can support them.
If you know of any NICUs or Hospital Resource Centers that would benefit from a free copy of Ready for Air. Please comment on this blog post including the name, address and any other details of the hospital. At the end of the tour, Kate will randomly pick 15 hospitals to receive signed copies of Ready for Air.
Connect with Kate Hopper Website | Facebook | Twitter
Kate Hopper is the author of Ready for Air: A Journey Through Premature Motherhood and Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers.
Kate holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Minnesota and has been the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant, and a Sustainable Arts Grant. Her writing has appeared in a number of journals, including Brevity, Literary Mama, Poets & Writers, and The New York Times online.
She is an editor at Literary Mama. She teaches online and at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.
This sounds like a great resource - brilliant idea to supply copies to NICU resource centres! I loved “Use Your Words” so I bet this one is fab too. Thanks for sharing your personal moments, yet again.
Hugs and besos.
Powerful stuff. Amazing how a sound, smell, anything can bring us back to a moment… some happy, some so so sad. Keep breathing, Sarah!!
Jody MacArthur (@jody_macA) recently posted…Boo on You, HALLOWEEN!
It’s amazing what triggers us, our senses, our minds… all can take us back to a moment in time we never want to relive, or one we never want to stop living. I haven’t read this, but I will. I think it’s important there is resources, support, outlets that parents can utilize while their baby is in NICU. It’s such a time of whirlwind emotions and thoughts one can almost feel abnormal.
Pingback: journeys of the zoo | Motherhood & Words
Dear Sarah, thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad it resonates with you! I know our stories our different, but there are also so many things that parents who have spent time in the NICU or at any hospital bedside share. Sending a big hug!!
Kate Hopper recently posted…Comment on NICU giveaway by Kate
Yes, you can be transported back, even when unexpected. I was recently in a clinic with my son & when I entered the day surgery unit at night and saw a row of cribs I was thrown back 12 years to when my daughter was sick and became a blubbering mess. It did not seem to matter that it was a different hospital.
Wow…very powerful! I couldn’t imagine the deep emotional pain having a child in the hospital brings.
Natasha Rodriguez recently posted…Bath Time Fun
Sarah, I swear I love you more and more all the time. Thank you, yet again, for sharing yourself with us. I actually haven’t read a book that wasn’t meant for kids since my daughter was born. This this might be a good book to get back into the swing of things. I have several people close to me that have gone through experiences like this and it’s so hard to find words when you have never experienced anything like it.
Mommy Outside recently posted…The Ups & Down of Bringing Up Royalty (or Raising a 3 Year Old)
Um… Wow… All I can say is amazing review and the book sounds great. I’m kind of at a loss for words right now…
CraftyZoo recently posted…Free #Blogger #Opp $300 Target GC
Sounds like an amazing resource!
It is scary and it is comforting to feel you are not alone.
Our granddaughter, Sophie, only weighed 1 lb., 9 oz. It is very scary, but she was a little trooper and was off of the respirator in only 2 days. She’s now 8 years old and you would never know she was premature.
As someone who works closely with an NICU, I know I would be in tears reading this. Sounds like a wonderful resource!
I’m with you Sarah! This sounds like an amazing and inspirational read. I know that I would have loved to receive something like this while I was visiting my twins in the NICU.
I consider myself very lucky to have had 7 children and not had to go through any of this.
This book sounds amazingly raw. My son was in nicu for 8 days. You feel so alone in what your going through
this is on my list of reads but my list is long so I am following you lol
Thanks to all of you for your kind words and your tweets! I love the way people rally around you, Sarah! It says a ton about your warmth and authenticity!
xo
Kate
Kate Hopper recently posted…Comment on cafemom & hunger relief benefit by Kate
hope your child is ok i am praying for you.and your child.
Yes! A couple of my friends had babies that spend months in the NICU before going home. Stressful time for all.