When one finds out that he will be a mother or father, we prepare for a 9-month pregnancy and take things easy. But sometimes, babies for some reason are born early. And to ensure that they develop healthy and are more likely to survive, should be taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Jourdan and Matt Moore received in 2015 their twins Jaxson and Cadence four months before the estimated date of delivery, so they spent 3 months in the NICU. Now they share some photographs that show the before and after of their children to give hope to other parents of premature babies.
Nothing and nobody prepares you to receive your baby ahead of time. It is undoubtedly a very stressful time for parents, since the time they spend in the NICU is very difficult and seems to have no end. They are nights of burden and sadness for not being able to hug your baby and uncertainty becomes worry.
That's why the Moore have been sharing their babies' photos on their Instagram account, now 18 months old, so that other parents who are going through these difficult moments keep hope.
You simply cannot rush to miracle. The tiny steps forward, the massive steps back, the detours from our own plan are all part of the strategically orchestrated blueprint which someday transforms into the miracle. I used to think all miracles were instantaneous. I've learned that the most beautiful of all miracles are the ones you get the honor of witnessing in slow motion. Left: 1 day old / exactly 4 months prior to due date. Right: 16 months old / 12 months adjusted age. #transformationtuesday #godofmiracles #miraclebaby #slowandsteadywinstherace
A photo posted by Journey To Mini-Moore (@journeytominimoore) on Jan 24, 2017 at 8:19 pm PST
You simply cannot hurry a miracle. The small steps forward, the great steps backwards, the deviations from our own plan, is all part of the strategically orchestrated project that one day becomes a miracle. I used to think that all miracles were instantaneous. I have learned that the most beautiful miracles are those that you have the honor of looking in slow motion. On the left: 1 day of birth, exactly 4 months before the date of delivery. On the right: 16 months of age / 12 months of corrected age.
In addition to sharing the progress of their children, to whom doctors gave little hope of survival, they invite people document your progress with your different problems to be able to experience a feeling of gratitude even greater than they normally feel.
We (humanity) tend to display primarily only the "best / most beautiful / least vulnerable" parts or ourselves to the public, to social media, and even to our own personal memory banks. If we block out the ugly then we can pretend it doesn't exist. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when I was 16. It's an invisible disease so when I look back through old photo albums it's easy to forget how debilitating it used to be. I wish I had journaled about it because honestly most of it is a compete blur in my mind. Recently I found a notebook from 12 years ago, inside a list of daily symptoms, that my doctor had asked me to keep log of. My heart ached for the old me that I painfully recalled as I flipped through those pages. I sobbed for the young girl that suffered in silence. But I look at myself today and I feel a deeper sense of gratitude that I may not have if those darker days were ignored and forgotten. I'm healthier and my disease is finally well managed. What a blessing! I post these before and after photos of my babies for the same reason. How can we experience true joy and thankfulness if we do not allow ourselves to document the vulnerable days just as we do the good ones? So let this be an encouragement… to those of you with babes still in the NICU, still struggling to with infertility, still suffering with any element… journal about it, take photos, document it. Because someday the old pain might actually provide you with a deeper joy than you have ever known. Left: Cadence 1 day old, 4 months before due date. (500 grams / 1lb 1oz) Right: Cadence 16 months old, 12 months adjusted age. (20 lbs-ish but who's counting anymore;)?) #Throwbackthursday #miraclebaby #godofmiracles
A photo posted by Journey To Mini-Moore (@journeytominimoore) on Jan 26, 2017 at 1:40 pm PST
We (humanity) have the tendency to show only the parts we consider "best / most beautiful / least vulnerable" of us to the public, to social networks, and even to our own personal memories. If we block the ugly, we can pretend that it does not exist. I was diagnosed with Chron disease when I was 16 years old. It's an invisible disease, so when I see my old photo albums it's easy to forget how debilitating it was. I wish I had kept a diary about this stage of my life, because honestly, it is now a completely blurry memory in my mind. Recently I found a notebook from 12 years ago, with a list of daily symptoms noted, of which my doctor asked me to keep a record. My heart feels pain for the old me, which I remembered as I leafed through those pages. I cried for a girl who suffered in silence. But I look at myself now and feel a deeper gratitude than I would have if I had forgotten or ignored those days. I am healthy and my illness has finally been controlled. What a bless! I publish these before and after pictures of my babies for the same reason. How can we experience true joy and gratitude if we do not allow ourselves to document difficult days just as we do with good days? So let this be encouraging ... to all those with babies still in the NICU, to those who struggle with infertility problems, to those who suffer with any element ... write about it, take photos, document it. Because someday, that old pain can give them a much deeper joy than they have known. On the left: Cadence with 1 day of life, 4 months before the date of delivery (500 grams, 1 pound and 1 ounce). On the right: Cadence: 16 months old / 12 months corrected age (around 20 pounds, but who still counts?)
The purpose of your social media accounts is give hope to other parents of premature babies, since having experienced those moments themselves for 3 months, they know how difficult they can be.
"In the NICU you focus on surviving day after day, sometimes hour after hour. They are not cradles full of light with a large window so that people can peek as you see on television"says Matt in an interview with the Huffington Post."It is a dark, quiet and private space, designed to motivate the continued development of babies like ours, who needed 16 more weeks for their bodies and their brain to develop. The NICU mimics the matrix environment as much as possible".
Every year 15 million premature babies are born in the world, so these images will surely fulfill the Moore's goal: to give hope to those who are living through this unexpected and difficult situation.
