Susanna Rhodes

My Tiny Sock Snowmen

I am a Neonatal ICU Nurse. Retired now, I worked for nearly 40 years in a level 3 Neonatal ICU. We were the tertiary center for the State, where the sickest of newborns were sent to receive care. We cared for infants with heart defects, surgical emergencies, inborn errors of metabolism, but the bulk of our population were premature infants. My heart was especially drawn to the extremely premature infants, otherwise known as "micro preemies". Imagine if you will, cupping a tiny life that fits neatly between your hands to gently turn them. Like a tiny bird fluttering as you contain their arms and legs to decrease stress.As you can imagine, this was an extremely stressful job, despite my love for it. And I frequently brought that stress home.