This Mom's Account of What It's Like to Hold Your Preemies For the First Time Will Make You Sob
Stacey Skrysak, a mother from Springfield, IL, is no stranger to loss. But rather than dwelling on the children she's lost, she's focused on living in the moment. She posted a beyond heartbreaking video of when she held the two of her three triplets who were born prematurely for the very first time. Unfortunately, one of her daughters had already passed away.
Stacey explains how emotional it was to finally hold her two surviving children, Peyton and Parker, for the very first time after six long weeks in a Facebook post. "That first moment. You never forget it. It's engraved in your heart forever. But holding your baby for the first time takes on a new meaning when you're a preemie parent. The constant beeps and alarms hum through the dimly lit room. Wires, tubes, and monitors are being juggled between half a dozen nurses. In the middle of it all is a tiny, fragile baby, born too soon."
But unfortunately for Stacey, Parker's health started to deteriorate with each passing day. The mom told POPSUGAR how her family was forced to make a decision that most parents only face in their nightmares:
"Just a few days prior, the neonatologist pulled us into a conference room and shared the news — our son suffered a major brain injury, most likely from the stress of a recent surgery . . . As we learned more about how gravely ill he was, we gathered our family and ended care on Aug. 16."
It's now become Stacey's mission to be a resource for parents who were planning on having multiples, but tragically lost one or all of them. And despite being rattled with grief, Stacey knows that she needs to count her blessings, and her biggest one is her surviving daughter, Peyton. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with looking back at the precious moments she spent with her baby boy:
"It's definitely bittersweet, but we try not to dwell. Instead, I like to look back and think of how lucky we were to have nearly two months with our son. So many parents never even get a day or even a minute. It's the hardest decision a parent could ever have to make. But we never wanted Parker to suffer. This video means the world to our family."