Love, Allison

“Dear NICU Mama, The seasons may change, but the validity of your experience never will.

It may be difficult to imagine it now, but there will be a season of joy. A season in which you will be able to scoop your precious baby into your arms without needing to first ask permission, without requiring a team of nurses, and without countless tubes and wires taped to your clothing. And when that season comes, your NICU sisterhood will be rejoicing with you.

There will be a season of hope where there was once only despair. The fear that coated the ground you stood frozen on will begin to thaw, and this new season’s buds of promise will begin to emerge. As the days become warmer, you will feel closer to your sweet baby. A wall of isolette glass and noisy machines that once kept you apart will bloom into warm baby sighs and gentle butterfly kisses on your chest.

There will be a season of promise in which you are more gentle with your heart, soul, and body. In time, you will find that although you were called to motherhood sooner than you ever could have imagined, your beautiful heart and body rose to the occasion with such strength and love.

And sweet NICU mama, there will come a season when you come to understand that while your tiny warrior is a miracle… so are you.”

Love,
Allison

More of Allison + Magnus’ NICU Journey:

 “Our sweet Magnus was born at 24 weeks, 0 days after my water broke at home without any warning on the morning of April 8, 2022. My husband rushed me to the hospital where he was born one hour later at 1 pound, 2.5 ounces. He spent 138 days in the NICU, 80 of which were spent on a ventilator. I wasn’t able to hold him for 38 days, but he came home in late August 2022 on low-flow oxygen via nasal cannula and with a G tube. He is now 11 months old, 7 months adjusted, and is the light of our lives. He requires oxygen only at night and is still fed through his feeding tube. He has come so far and continues to amaze my husband and I every day with his strength, sense of humor, and overall zest for life. My letter is dedicated to the beautiful NICU mamas who have gone through the unimaginable and shown strength and fortitude beyond their own imagination.”