Love, Annika
“Dear NICU Mama, When you doubt yourself, please remember there is nothing that could prepare you for the life altering experience of having a baby in the NICU. Doctors may come to you and explain things over and over, but you’ll still never know what you’re about to go through until you are in each new moment of that journey.
You may feel every emotion under the sun all at once or one after another. You may wonder how in the world you’re going to get through this?
The truth is there may not be any clarification or consoling that can make you feel fully confident in the days to come. It can be frustrating not having all the answers, but that’s where your inner strength comes in and you continue to stand tall and proud for your sweet baby fighter. You will become their advocate while they become your teacher. You will spend every day asking questions, celebrating every little milestone or improvement and soaking up all the snuggles and touches you can get from your little miracle.
They will teach you strength and patience beyond your imagination, as well as gratitude and hope that humbles you to your core. You will learn an entirely different way to look at life, and you will never stop thanking them for that. You’ll have both gratitude and grief in the same breath as a NICU mama. Trust in yourself and your baby more than anyone else and watch the both of you become the biggest warriors.”
Love,
Annika
More of Annika + Her Daughter’s NICU Story:
“Our daughter was born at just 28 weeks and 3 days due to me having severe preeclampsia. A neonatologist had met with me and my husband shortly before I would have my c-section and explained all that we should expect in the coming days with our micropreemie. But once our daughter was born and sent to the NICU all that information and prepping went out the window and we started this new journey scared, anxious and having no idea what was to come. One thing was for sure though, we had a fighter and we would gain our strength and hope through this teeny baby not even 2 full pounds. Days turned into weeks turned into months and our daughter had gone through so much-relying on CPAP for respiratory support, blood transfusions, PT/OT, endless scans and tests, a list of medications and immunizations and even a surgery for a G-Tube placement. I spent nearly every single day for four months visiting my baby girl and several nights in the hospital to be near if she needed me or if I needed her. My husband and I were drained and all we could think about was the day she could come home to us. After a very difficult decision to have our daughter go through surgery and get her feeding tube placed, she was finally able to come home exactly 4 months from when she was born. We had watched our miracle baby transform so much and we all left the NICU stronger, braver and prouder. It was a long road and although it doesn’t end when you leave the NICU, it changes you as a person so that you are more aware of you and your baby’s ability to overcome anything. Thank you to every member from our NICU team that helped our little warrior get to where she is today. And thank you to the Dear NICU Mama community for being just what I needed on the darkest, loneliest days of this journey.”
