Love, Casey

Dear NICU Mama,

Today, I see you. I see you spending long hours in the NICU, never wanting to leave your sons room. I see you checking the monitors every time the alarms beep, just making sure they’re okay. I see you gaze into your daughters face with such intense love, dreaming of who she will become someday. I see your baby cuddled in your shirt as tears roll down your face just wishing you could hold them without all the tubes and wires attached to them. I see you talking with the nurses, making sure they feel appreciated.

I see you leave to go home to care for the rest of your family, feeling guilty you have to go. I see you blaming yourself and comparing your life to others.

Can I be tell you something? YOU are amazing. You are brave. And you are a fighter, just like your little one. Your love does not go unnoticed. And those moments that are tough- embrace them. Take it all in. Because very soon these little moments will just be memories. They will become these “NICU days” you speak of that hurt your heart a little bit every single time you remember them, but also remind you where you gained your strength.

I see you, NICU mama. And your little one sees you too. Keep fighting, this isn’t the end of your journey yet. You got this!

Love,

A Former 30 Week Preemie NICU Mama