“Dear NICU mama, I know you can do this because the cherry blossoms bloom after the harshest of winters. The daffodils spring even when the sky is grey. The sun always rises when the moon goes to sleep.
You are Mother Nature–made of love and magic, with a quiet determination lighting that fire inside you.
You may not feel it today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But you can do this, because you already are.
Keep blooming, keep springing, keep rising. Your reason is right there in front of you.“
Love,
Jessica
More of Our Journey:
“My waters broke just shy of 34 weeks. Up until then, I’d had such a smooth pregnancy that, as a first-time mum, I was blissfully unaware of what lay ahead.
Dylan was born the following day, weighing 4lb 7oz. He was taken to NICU almost immediately for breathing support, IV fluids, and later phototherapy. I was discharged 48 hours later. Leaving the hospital without him was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. The next month became a routine of hospital visits back and forth. It was exhausting but made bearable by the incredible NICU staff who cared for him (and us).
As a British couple living in Washington DC, we went through a lot of it on our own. My mum managed to land just as Dylan was born, which helped us immensely, and friends and family back home were very supportive – but it’s so hard to understand unless you’ve been through it. One friend, who’d had their own NICU experience, introduced us to this community and gave us comfort and hope by checking in every single day.
Dylan is now two months old and has just passed his due date. He brings us joy every single day, and we feel so lucky to have had those extra six weeks with him.”