09/06/2023
2 months ago I brought a warrior into this world 🤍 With so many prayers & positivity, we spent our first 14 days / 13 nights together in the NICU. I don’t feel comfortable talking about the details of this journey just yet; wounds are still so fresh. One day I hope to get there, but for now I just know I want to say…
To the moms who didn’t get an opportunity for skin to skin, or to hold their baby until too many days after birth. I see you, I was you.
To the moms whose birth recovery was not laying down, relaxing, & cuddling their baby; but standing over their baby with tubes & wires in an incubator hooked up to monitors. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who watched their baby cry from being constantly poked, but did not hear their baby cry from being intubated. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who “slept” too many restless, noisy nights alongside their baby with monitors beeping, and nurses coming in every couple hours to check vitals & perform sterile procedures. I see you, I was you.
To the moms whose baby fed through a NG tube and bottle before breast. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who were on a rigid pumping schedule to make sure you had a milk supply ready for when your baby upgrades to PO feedings. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who packed the adorable hospital stay & take home outfits, and planned the perfect announcement photo that they never took. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who immediately felt pain, guilt & wondered what you did wrong when you heard the tragic news your baby is being rushed to the NICU at your birth hospital; then later transported to the Children’s Hospital with a more critical care NICU. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who were terrified from the first second you laid eyes on your baby in their NICU incubator, until the last second they finally got discharged. I see you, I was you.
To the moms who have yet to process the trauma, pain, and emotions around their baby’s birth story or NICU experience. I see you, I am you.
