What no one tells you about life in the NICU with a Preemie
When Jacqy Ng’ang’a felt a sharp pain at just 33 weeks of pregnancy, she brushed it off at first, thinking it was false labour. But as the cramps intensified that Sunday morning in February 2025, she realized something wasn’t right. She rushed from church to the hospital, a decision that, according to doctors, saved both her life and her baby’s.
Jacqy had experienced a miscarriage before, so this pregnancy meant everything to her. “I really wanted this baby,” she recalls. But what followed was a whirlwind of fear, faith, and resilience.
She was taken to the theatre for an emergency delivery, and though her baby arrived safely, he had to be rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Their medical insurance couldn’t cover the NICU bills, forcing Jacqy and her family to transfer their fragile newborn to a more affordable hospital. She still remembers her first glimpse of her son; tiny, pale, and wrinkled, looking more like a frail old man than a newborn. “It broke my heart,” she says softly.
Doctors told her that her baby would only be discharged once he reached two kilograms. Until then, Jacqy could only visit him every three hours. They were placed in separate rooms, and she had to watch her son through a glass partition, longing to hold him.
The baby had to learn how to feed from a bottle before he could even suckle, and every gram of weight gained or lost felt monumental. “One day he’d gain thirty grams, and the next, he’d lose fifty,” Jacqy recalls. “All I could do was pray for him to make it.”
Life in the NICU was an emotional rollercoaster, with long days, anxious nights, and endless prayers. But through it all, Jacqy clung to hope. And today, her prayers have been answered. Her baby is now eight months old, healthy, and thriving.
The pain of those early days has slowly faded, giving way to gratitude and joy. “When I look at him now,” Jacqy smiles, “I see the faithfulness of God.”
Watch the full story: “My Baby Came Seven Weeks Early | Life as a Preemie Mom” on the Parents Africa YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/I90XHc3vTbg?si=i_C0oCQ6fjizuIqO
