Love, Dana

“Dear NICU Mama, Your birth story tells the story of the day that forever changed you. You overcame immeasurable obstacles, you challenged yourself, and you proved your strength.

Birth does not occur the same for any two people. There is no way to predict the perfect outcome, to know how your body will manage, or to know confidently that your baby will be okay. But you still rose to the challenge stoically and did everything you could for you and your precious child.

You may have been able to push, or you may have needed a C-section, and both of those scenarios are heroic and miraculous. You may have held your baby immediately after they were born, or you may have watched them be rushed off into another room. No matter what your experience was, you endured the biggest day of your life. You birthed a human being. You did what you had anticipated for months, or even years. 

You made it through and stayed strong for your child. Even in the moments you did not think you could.” 
Love,
Dana

More of Dana + James' + Vera’s NICU Journeys:

 After five years of struggling with infertility, my husband and I miraculously conceived naturally, and found out it was twins. I had an uneventful pregnancy until April 27, 2020, when I was 25w5d.

After having some mild lower back discomfort overnight, I was shaken by just one painful cramp at 5am. I ran to my bathroom, and was taken aback by what happened next.

The second I sat on the toilet, I lost my mucous plug, followed by Baby A, James, and a few minutes later, Baby B, Vera. My husband came in to help and called 911, but paramedics took about twenty minutes to arrive. I delivered and resuscitated both babies myself. My husband and I cradled them until help arrived.

We were all brought to a nearby hospital initially, but the babies were quickly transferred to a Level IV NICU. They were not expected to survive, but they ended up beating the odds.

During our 112 stay, the babies endured countless complications such as brain bleeds, PDAs, blood transfusions, blood clots, organ failure, ROP, and had difficulty learning to eat. They came home on August 3rd and August 13th, 2020, without oxygen or feeding tubes.

James and Vera are almost 3 years old and overall thriving. They are curious, hilarious, chatty, and exemplify the epitome of sibling love.”