Read MoreIn a normal situation we would have been able to hold him and visit him and take him home. Due to the nature of the birth and preeclampsia, Val wasn’t able to hold or see him for 24 hours. Due to Covid, none of our family was able to be there to meet him. And due to his premature birth, clocking in at 4 pounds 3 ounces, the concern that his lungs weren’t fully developed and other bumps in the road he was going to spend some time in the Fairview NICU. We were prepped for this scenario before going into labor but we had no idea just what we were about to experience until we scrubbed in for the first time to see him.
Read MoreBravery in the NICU is all around. Bravery in the NICU comes from one place. I believe that special place is within the heart of every NICU baby. They come into this world ready to fight. They know they will face challenges. They know this isn’t how it was supposed to be. They do it though. They believe in themselves and that is brave. Everyone in the NICU becomes brave because they feel it everytime they see the little fingers wiggle and grab tight to another big finger nearby. The babies are reaching out asking for someone to believe in them, too.
Read MoreNothing can prepare you for the sight of your newborn surrounded by a team of people and everything that happens in those gut wrenching moments until your baby is stable in the NICU. Once he was there, he had hurdles or overcome, but we counted the small victories made each day. I kept putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on the next thing. It felt like we’d never get out of there some days, but other days I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Read MoreEvery day in the NICU feels like the hardest and most exhausting day of your life, only to go home and do it all over again tomorrow. Covid truly compounded the exhaustion and the emotions. We were together as a family of 3 exactly one time before we got to come home. Instead of having both parents at her bedside, Hazel had two parents running in circles around each other to split their time.
Read MoreOur NICU experience was heart wrenching and devastating yet beautiful and miraculous. It was a journey that wasn’t planned for and will never be forgotten. The bravery my #NICUwarrior and his team of caregivers showed is remarkable, it gave us strength and hope on our darkest days and continues to be a source of light and inspiration today. Sending strength, comfort, hope and prayers to those who have braved and who are braving their NICU journey now.
Read MoreThere is no such thing as a “typical” NICU baby, each and everyone of these miracles have a unique story to share.
I remember the day like it was yesterday; the fear, the emotions, the smells & the sounds but it also seems like it was a million years ago with memories missing and unclear.
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Read MoreBeing a NICU mom means asking for permission to hold your own baby and being denied at times because the baby had a rough day.
Praying and crying over your sweet baby as he sleeps in an incubator. Not being able to jump up and cuddle your precious baby every time he cries.
Changing diapers through tiny holes in the side of the incubator.
Singing and giving words of encouragement through a small incubator hole so that your baby knows that you're there.
Read MoreI never knew just how hard the NICU would be, and how excruciatingly painful it was, until my twins were born 5 weeks early. I knew NICU parents were strong and brave, but until you become one you really don’t understand the magnitude.
Read MoreSomeone just said to me recently, “Being strong isn’t the goal, being brave is. Brave means feeling it all and still taking the next step forward.”
Read MoreI cannot describe in words the devastating feeling to non-NICU parents that is leaving your baby at the hospital on the day you are discharged.
It is absolutely gut-wrenching. You think you have it together until you don't. I'm still dealing with the grief of the birth experiences I wanted. I still have pangs of jealousy when I see friends on Facebook showing pictures, cuddling their new babies hours after giving birth and getting to go home within 24-36 hours.
Read MoreIt was a swift emergency C-section. Noah was 32 weeks gestation, and weighed only 2 lbs. The first moment I laid eyes on him, was through the small plexiglass porthole of his isolette. Although there were no signs of Zika, It was determined that Noah had not grown since 26 weeks gestation, as the result of severe Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). If it had not been for that random ultrasound, we never would have known and would likely have lost Noah within another 24 hours at most. There will never be an answer or explanation as to why this happened. However, there will also never be one as to how he survived for so long- and of the two mysteries, that is the one I encourage myself to focus on.