Love, Kira

“Dear NICU Mama, Nothing prepares you to mother through a global pandemic. Period. That’s the end of the sentence. The advice that is so often given to those new to motherhood - find a community of mamas, get out of the house, take a yoga class, ask for help, accept delivered meals– it has all gone out the window for us. We were given a map of how to do this, but all of the roads have changed.

But. Find hope in the very great and remarkable reality that you are doing this incredibly hard thing. This thing that from an outsider looking in is impossible. You are walking down a road that is brand new. You are digging deep and finding strength within yourself that you never knew existed. And that sweet little baby that lies in their crib being sung to sleep by monitors and the whispers of night nurses is soaking up your strength and will follow suit. They will carry that strength with them forever.

You can do this. And that means you can do anything. So turn off the noise. The noise of infighting between politicians, community leaders, neighbors, family and friends. And instead, close your eyes as your sweet baby rests on your chest. Their skin against yours. And feel their breaths sync with yours.

Life is beautiful and precious. Immerse yourself in the peace, joy, and strength of motherhood. You’ve got this.”

Love,
Kira

More of Kira’s + her son Dover’s NICU journey:

“My wife and I got pregnant by IUI in July 2019 - we found out that I was pregnant on my birthday! I had a healthy pregnancy with no red flags. At 37 weeks I went to the OB for a routine ultrasound and they decided to induce immediately because my fluid was incredibly low. After 8 hours on cervidil, Dover's heart rate continued to drop every time I had a contraction and so the OB team went forward with an emergency c-section. He entered the world thirty minutes later. The neonatologist noticed signs of Down syndrome after he was born. Additionally, Dover was struggling to maintain his temperature and his platelets were dropping significantly. After four days in the hospital's special care unit he was transferred to our local Children's Hospital for a platelet transfusion. There we received Dover's official diagnosis of Translocation Down Syndrome. His care team identified additional medical needs connected to his Down syndrome diagnosis including aspiration when feeding and obstructive sleep apnea. We were discharged from the hospital the evening before our state went into shelter-in-place for COVID-19. Dover has been on Oxygen 24 hours a day since he arrived at Children's Hospital. We continue to work with his care team and his early intervention team, providing necessary therapy via telehealth. We feel incredibly fortunate to live in a city with such incredible resources.”