The life of a New York mother and former neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) baby has come full circle after she was inspired to become a NICU nurse when her own premature daughter was born.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Christine was born prematurely at 34 weeks and spent time in the NICU.
- Her daughter was also born prematurely, and Christine was inspired to become a NICU nurse after witnessing the care that the nurses provided to her daughter.
- Christine now works in the same NICU where she was cared for as a premature baby.
THE DETAILS:
Born prematurely at 34 weeks, Christine Parasram began her life outside the womb at Flushing Hospital in Queens, New York. Now, she works there as an assistant head nurse. Parasram was inspired to become a NICU nurse after her daughter, Emily, was born prematurely, and the NICU nurses helped her and Emily to recover.
“It feels amazing to know that I’m part of the journey. It feels like it was meant to be, right from where I started,” Parasram told The TODAY Show.
Emily is now ten years old and thriving, but Parasram recalls how difficult it was for her and her husband to leave Emily in the NICU after their daughter was born weighing just two pounds and two ounces.
Life as a NICU parent
“We were anxious. We were nervous. We were scared. It’s just the idea of leaving your baby behind [in the hospital], your most prized possession behind. It was very overwhelming,” Parasram said.
The nurses helped both Emily and Parasram during Emily’s two-month stay in the NICU.
“The nurses were amazing. Not only was she their patient, I was their patient as well,” recalled Parasram.
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Inspired by the NICU nurses, Parasram decided to enroll in nursing school as a young mom with a baby and a toddler. She had been working as a medical assistant to a dermatologist before Emily was born and the career change was difficult but “definitely worth it” because she can now provide care to other families that NICU nurses gave to her and her daughter.
“I still remember how they made me feel. And it’s a honor to be able to provide that to someone else,” she said.
Becoming a NICU nurse
As a NICU nurse and former NICU mom, Parasram loves to ease the anxieties she knows NICU parents feel.
“I love telling them stories, and letting them know that even though our babies are so tiny, they grow by the second,” she said. “I do love sharing my stories, because I do see that anxiety, and it does help.”
Working 12-hour shifts, including overnight, can be taxing for Parasram and the other NICU nurses, but their love and passion keep them going.
“It gets hard, but it’s our love, it’s our passion for what we do that keeps us in the game. That keeps us going,” she said.
Parasram can’t imagine doing anything different with her life, she said in her interview.
“In the NICU, we see miracles every day. To work alongside a critical baby and to watch that baby grow and flourish and graduate and go home–it’s the best feeling ever. I can’t see myself doing anything different,” she said.
Parasram was honored on the TODAY Plaza alongside her fellow NICU nurses, whom she considers ‘family,” on May 8 during National Nurses Week. Parasram was reunited with a baby girl she cared for and the baby’s mother, who had the opportunity to thank Parasram publicly for the first time.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Babies born as young as 21 weeks have survived when given proper medical care. A premature baby’s chances of survival depend on a variety of factors, including a doctor’s willingness to provide them with care and whether the hospital in which they are born is equipped to care for them. Chances of survival for premature babies have increased with advances in technology.
