Love, Marleina

“Dear NICU Mama, I see how much courage it took to keep on smiling, even when it felt like your heart had been separated from your body. How much courage it took to walk those same number of steps, down the exact same corridors, to be greeted by the exact same nursing staff and still deciding to put on a smile before you picked up your little one and said “Good morning my Love, did you sleep well?”

I see how much courage it took, and still takes, to hold on to hope. Hope that the CPAP machine will be removed today, hope that you will be going home as a family today, hope that they will reach their next milestone before they go to kindergarten. Whatever you are currently hoping for, know that you are a strong mama whose hope will be the foundation for your little one’s success.

You are so much stronger than you know. Even in those moments where you broke down crying in the hospital bathroom or where you completely lost your cool with your partner because the emotions were just too overwhelming to continue keeping it in. Even in those moments, know that you were fiercely loving and silently strong, because you were fighting alongside your little one for their next heartbeat, next breath, next day.

And someday, very soon, you will be woken up by little hands and a small voice saying “Good morning Mama, did you sleep well?”

Love,
Marleina