While many families will celebrate Father’s Day gathered around the dining room table at home or playing catch in the yard, others will spend it a bit differently. Three dads with babies in our neonatal intensive care unit discuss what the day means to them.
Lamar Brown, dad to Lauren
Lauren Brown was born prematurely at 27 weeks and has been in the NICU for seven weeks. When asked about plans for his first Father's Day, Lamar said he’d been too focused on his baby's NICU stay to realize it was coming up.
"We're up here in the NICU every day. We haven't missed a day since she was born."
Robert O’Connell, dad to Alice
Alice is a late preterm baby (the terminology used for babies born between 34 and 37 weeks) in the NICU learning how to eat and grow. Her dad, Dr. O'Connell, is an orthopedic surgeon at VCU Health and just realized Father's Day is approaching. He’s been busy between seeing his own patients and spending time visiting his daughter in the NICU. He’s looking forward to discharge so he can take Alice home to meet her two-year-old sister for the first time.
"Father's Day will be a special to time to spend with my two daughters."
Timmothy Hodge, dad to Walker
Baby Walker is Timmothy Hodge's first child. He was born full term and transferred to the NICU because he needed some extra special attention for a few days. Timmothy is excited that Walker was born in time to celebrate Father's Day. He was nervous to hold him at first because he was so small!
"Holding the little one is just a blessing!"
Two of our NICU physicians who are also fathers themselves share what Father’s Day in the NICU means to them.
Dr. Joseph Khoury will be spending Father’s Day in the NICU this year as well, caring for his tiny patients and their families.
“Seeing how a father’s long day at work just melts away when they see and hold their little one is very rewarding. Celebrating fathers is important as it recognizes them as supporters of their families while they go through tough times in the NICU.”
Dr. Russ Moores, our NICU medical director, believes in the importance of involving NICU dads in their babies' care and enjoys helping them navigate the process of having a child in the NICU.
"I can identify with what these fathers are going through because my own daughter was in the NICU for quite some time."
Dr. Moores is looking forward to becoming a first-time grandfather in July!
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}