Love, Kristen
“Dear NICU Mama, On your hardest days, I hope you know it’s okay if you’re not okay. You aren’t alone. It may not get easier, but you will get stronger.
I sit here with you in a different hospital on a different number day, and I feel your heartache. You may feel as if the season you are in will never end, but this season is temporary—not a forever. A greater season is on the horizon.
This season may not hold your favorite moments, but when those favorite moments do come, you will look back on these hard days and remember the nurses and doctors that became family and how these days made you a stronger mama today. You may feel defeated and alone, but you are far from either. You made it this far, and I promise you these hard days will never outweigh the best days filled with baby giggles and gummy smiles.
The hardest days are a reminder of your strength and how you were built for this. I know you were built for this. When you reach out for your little one and get a faint squeeze onto your finger, that’s them saying, “Keep fighting, Mama.” What are these hard days teaching us? The hard days prove we are stronger than we ever thought we were. They are a bridge, an emotional roller coaster to the best days ahead. Keep fighting and remember you can do hard things, mama.”
Love,
Kristen
More of Kristen + Tatum’s NICU Journey:
“I am a heart mom to baby girl Tatum (aka tater tot), a 4.5 month old heart warrior. She was diagnosed with a complex CHD, and we knew she would need life saving open-heart surgery shortly after birth. We spent the first few hours in the NICU and then spent the rest of our time in the PCICU at Johns Hopkins, as they have a specialized floor for all cardiac babies. She had a Yusai, one of the most complex heart surgeries performed at Hopkins, and it took us 88 days in the PCICU to finally make it home with our sweet girl. She is thriving and such a fighter! She will need follow up surgeries as she grows, but for now we are focused on being home and enjoying life as a family of four.”
