Love, Kristen

“Dear NICU Mama, In this season of motherhood, I hope you learn to lean. The NICU is a special club you never hope to be a part of. It can feel overwhelming, isolating, terrifying, hopeful, happy, and every other possible emotion. I hope you lean into those emotions, even when they are hard. But mostly I hope you find others to lean on as well. Your nurses, your OT's, PT's, speech therapists, doctors, friends, family, and other NICU moms while you are in the hospital can be lifelines, along with this sisterhood online.

Once you are home, try to find some normalcy as well. Find something or someone who fills your emotional cup and brings you happiness and lean into it, whatever that happiness is for you.

Find your happiness and lean in. While I never wish anyone to be in our NICU club, welcome to the club and lean in.

Love,
Kristen

More of Kristen + Caleb’s NICU story:

“My water broke at 25 weeks. I was fully prepared to spend the next 9 weeks in the hospital for when they would eventually induce me at 34 weeks. Caleb had other ideas and was born at 26 weeks and 1 day, weighing 2 lbs. We had an uneventful first 6 weeks, but then at 32 weeks he started having increased heart rate drops, and ended up being diagnosed with e coli sepsis and meningitis. He received 30 days of antibiotics and we thought we were in the clear. Sadly, due to the meningitis he ended up with hydrocephalus (too much fluid in his head). They placed a reservoir with hopes that as the meningitis improved, the fluid would start to go back to normal. Unfortunately, that did not pan out and he had a VP shunt placed about 1 month later. He also shrugged with oral eating and was so borderline on oral intake that we made the difficult decision to have a G tube placed so we could finally go home. After 153 days in the hospital we finally were able to go home. He has a long road ahead of him of re-learning to eat (he's stopped eating since the G tube was placed), and has another surgery coming up soon for a secondary catheter in his head, but we are constantly in awe of his happy, easy going personality and love being home together as a family.”