“Dear NICU mama, when you doubt yourself, please remember this: Years from now, you’ll look back and realize that the days you thought would break you were the very days that shaped you. Right now, the monitors, the alarms, the endless waiting, and the overwhelming uncertainty make it hard to believe that life will ever feel normal again. But it will.
You are going to be okay even on the days you don’t feel okay. Strength isn’t pretending everything is fine. It’s showing up, loving your babies through fear, and taking the next step even when your heart feels heavy.
When you question whether you’re doing enough, remember this: you were chosen to be their mom. Not because you’re perfect, but because you’re exactly who they need. No one else can love them the way you do. Your voice, your touch, your presence, and your unwavering love are already giving them something no machine or medicine ever could.
One day, the NICU will become a chapter instead of your whole story. The tiny diapers, feeding tubes, oxygen monitors, and milestone charts will be replaced with scraped knees, birthday candles, messy bedrooms, bedtime hugs, and laughter that fills your home. You’ll watch them run, play, learn, and grow in ways that once felt impossible.
So on the hard days, when tears fall in the hospital parking lot or you wonder how you’ll make it through another night, hold on to this truth: this season will not last forever.
You are stronger than you know.
Your babies are stronger than you can imagine.
And one day, you’ll realize you made it through what once seemed impossible.
Keep believing. Keep loving. Keep showing up.
They don’t need a perfect mom.
They just need their mom.
And that is more than enough.”
Love,
Tiffani
More of Our Journey:
“I had my twins at 28 + 2. At 26 weeks, on a Sunday morning, I had a gush of fluid, so my husband and I went into L&D just to be safe. Upon arrival they deemed I was in preterm labor and I would be transferring to another hospital with a Level 3 NICU. I spent two weeks and two days in the hospital before Baby A decided to make his GRAND entrance. Within a minute of being in the OR Baby A delivered naturally. The room was filled with fear as the doctors and nurses were screaming, “Where is the NICU team?” Moments later I was going under anesthesia due to not being able to locate Baby B on the ultrasound. The last thing I heard before going under for an emergency C-section was, “Don’t let Dad in, he will be traumatized.” Once I woke up I was told both babies were stable in the NICU. We went about our life in the NICU over the next few weeks. At five weeks old our hospital was in the direct path of Hurricane Ian. Once the storm was over the hospital was down to the final generators and had lost access to water, making it a fire hazard. Our boys were part of a 67 NICU patient evacuation and were airlifted to the east coast of Florida. They stayed there for two weeks prior to our hospital being able to welcome us back home! The boys were then airlifted back home where we finished out Paxton’s (Baby A) 77 day NICU stay and Kamden’s (Baby B) 95 day NICU stay.”