Love, Victoria

“Dear NICU Mama, You are enough even when you have to step back and let doctors and nurses care for your NICU baby.

It's easy to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and inadequate when you feel as though your baby's nurses and doctors know them better. But your baby knows you. Your presence is a great comfort to your baby. Your baby knows your smell, your voice, and your touch. You may not be able to change every diaper, give every bath, do every feed or calm every storm but your baby knows you and needs you.

You are more than enough for your baby: you are their voice. There is no one in the world more capable, comforting, and compassionate than you are for your baby. The bravest act of love is your ability to accept that there are certain times you have to step back and let a doctor or a nurse take care of your baby. The greatest act of love is to be who you are for your NICU baby.

The unspoken bond you have can never be taken or replaced. You always are and always have been enough for your baby.”

Love,
Victoria

More of Victoria +Tehya’s NICU Story:

"I'm Victoria and this is my beautiful baby girl Tehya (pronounced Tay-a). She is my 3rd daughter. I had an uneventful/normal pregnancy up until I was 38 weeks pregnant and during a routine ultrasound my doctor found that Tehya had a plueral effusion ( a build up of fluid around her lungs). I was induced that same day, and after 2 days of labor my baby girl was born on 4/24/24. Less than 3 minutes after she was born she stopped breathing and needed to be fully resuscitated. She was intubated and transferred to a NICU in a different hospital. They found that her plueral effusion was actually congenital chylothorax, which is lymphatic fluid. For 2 months her NICU team worked on getting the chylothorax to resolve, which it did, but when they attempted to extubate her, it was unsuccessful. So she was transferred again to another NICU to be evaluated for a tracheostomy. During their evaluation, we received Tehya's diagnosis. Congenital Lobar Emphysema/ Congenital Lobar Overinflation. A rare congenital defect of the lungs that causes the trapping of air which leads to the lungs overinflating. At 3 months old she had surgery to remove her right middle lobe of her lung and was moved to the PICU. Shortly after surgery, her chylothorax returned and she remains in the PICU facing another possible transfer to a hospital 7 hours away to treat her chylothorax, and possibly another surgery to remove her left upper lobe of her lung. She has a long road to home, but she is a warrior.”