“Dear NICU Mama, You may not be the same woman you were before your NICU journey, but you are stronger in ways no one can ever prepare you for.
You are the kind of strong that is born in the quiet beeping of monitors, in the loud room when teams are doing their assessments, in the long nights spent watching numbers and staring at your baby instead of sleeping, and in learning medical terms you never asked to know. You are the strength that shows up even when your heart is breaking, even when fear sits heavy in your chest. You are strong in ways most people will never fully understand.
There is a strength in you that didn’t exist until it had to.
You have learned to celebrate differently; to celebrate everyday because everyday is a MILESTONE. You have learned that joy and grief can live side by side, you can smile and celebrate progress while still feeling anger, exhaustion, and heartbreak.
You are a warrior in a place no one ever wants to be, doing a job no one can prepare for. And NICU mama, I am so proud of you.”
Love,
Adrianna
Adrianna
More of Our Journey:
“At 20 weeks, we were informed Penelope had an enlarged bladder and kidneys. We went to weekly appointments to monitor her and were misdiagnosed. By 35 weeks, we saw her intestines were dilated and we decided to induce me at 37 weeks. We were as prepared as we thought. Unfortunately, our initial diagnosis was just one part of Penelope’s diagnosis. She was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Megasystis Microcolon Intestsinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome (MMIHS for short). We spent 232 days in the NICU. The first 7 weeks were at our local NICU and the remaining were spent at a NICU 7 hours from home. She had 4 major surgeries through this time and after each recovered as if nothing had happened. We came home October 21, 2025. She is now 15 months and absolutely thriving with the help of various medical accessories (central line, GJ tube and urinary catheters).”