We all know what an iconic figure Dr. Seuss is, but have you ever thought of the NICU in relation to him? Since it's his birthday and we are an organization devoted to NICU families, I thought it would be a good post!
The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called “Who-ville”, inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos. The Whos ask Horton, despite the fact that he can only hear them, to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the book that “a person’s a person, no matter how small”. In doing so he is ridiculed by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear.
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
"How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?"
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go."
I have thoughts of many parents who have sat in front of their baby's incubator reading them a Dr. Seuss book and the comfort it brings to them. The Cat in The Hat in those moments may bring a little smile or even a laugh to a mom or dad, while at the same time the rhythmic melodic words of the story coupled with mom or dads voice brings comfort to baby. Reading Dr. Seuss books will no doubt bring to light major themes that a NICU parent is facing and could even at times be therapeutic. For instance in, "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are" we are reminded of the difficulties others face. This can bring about a feeling of not being alone and might even push a parent to reach out to other NICU parents for support.
This post wouldn't be complete without touching on "Horton Hears a Who!" You may remember us posting this inspirational image last year on our fan page:
We just updated our fan page to the new format and are also using if for our cover photo! Today you may have seen the quote circulating around lots of fan pages and personal pages in the preemie world. The reason is obvious! A person, NO MATTER HOW TINY, is a person. I personally love that quote for so many reasons. In our preemie world, NICU world, angel world, and just the world of LIFE in general this quote says it best. Do you know what book the quote came from though? "Horton Hears a Who!" is all about faith and we all know how important faith is in when a baby is considered high-risk in the womb, or born sick, or too early.
We believe in our babies and fight for them from the moment we know they are with us--in our bellies, when they are sick, when they are considered high-risk, when they come to early, and even when they they do not make it--we know they are still with us! As parents we have the belief, the fight, and the faith that is necessary to push forward.
Secondly, you can draw a correlation between the colorful surreal worlds of Dr. Seuss and your own physical world in the NICU. The tubes, the weird clear plastic shaped nest that your baby calls home, the bright blue bili lights, the rhythmic shuffle of nurses coming in and out, the sounds of babies crying, beeps, beeps, and more beeps, monitors with green, orange, and red lights bleeping on and off, graphs and numbers traveling nonstop across the screens, pencils scratching on the paper as charts are filled out, breast pumps, tiny bottles, lots of milk, and the list could go on and on. It all seems a little surreal at times. After delivers and c-sections lots of moms are hazy, going through the movements of their new daily life, trying to learn how to be a caregiver in such a weird environment, that is so far from what the comforts of home would be, and trying to find some kind of meaning in why this is even happening to them and their tiny love! That last word though is how it all works. Love. In the words of Dr. Seuss “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” Love makes it all okay, love gets you through, love conquers all.
In closing here are some more quotes from Dr. Seuss you will love! Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
"How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?"
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go."
