Dear NICU Mom,
I see you...
I see your brave face and calculated words as you calmly provide updates to family and friends. I can read between the words you are saying and feel every emotion hiding behind them. I can see that expressing your reality out loud could quite possibly be the straw that breaks you - so you don't.
I see you walking the halls of the hospital, slower than you used to. You are taking on the weight of the world, not even giving your cut, swollen, bruised body time to heal. You've never made it about you.
I see you using every bit of your energy to put one foot in front of the other, knowing you haven't slept in weeks. Worry, pump, pray, call the NICU, clean pump parts - REPEAT.
I see you navigating life outside of the hospital walls. I see you take those extra few minutes in the parked car to let it all out, then wipe your face and regroup before you go love on your other kids.
I see you feverishly taking notes and researching all of the new acronyms, devices, statistics, and diagnosis. I see you doing your best to arm yourself with the knowledge to care for your little. I see you drowning in information, some really terrifying information.
I see you, because I have been you.
You will get your feet back under you again. You will find your new normal, even though it looks nothing like what you expected.
You will learn all of the acronyms, therapies, plans for healing, and you will become your baby's greatest advocate.
You will find the strength to have real conversations with real friends, without your mind drowning in the medical world.
You will find yourself again, and become the absolute best version of yourself for you and your family.
You can rise up, and you will - because YOU are a NICU Mom!
Stephanie Laskoskie From Small Beginnings
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