Love, Jillian
“Dear NICU Mama, You embodied courage when you surrendered how you thought things would be and adopted a new story of strength, hope, and fierce, fierce love.
The truth is, a NICU journey calls for courage not just in the big things, but in the tiny little details that make up each day–and you have already chosen courage more times than you realize.
It takes courage to trade cozy quiet nights at home for a busy bustling NICU ward.
To trust your precious baby to the care of complete strangers.
To immerse yourself in a world of new medical terms and procedures.
To make quick, unexpected, and difficult healthcare decisions.
To listen to your mother’s intuition and advocate for your baby.
To say ‘no’ to visitors, gatherings, or events for the protection of your family’s health.
To feel utterly exhausted but still show up for your baby with a smile, a song, or sweet words of encouragement.
To give the gentlest love on the roughest days.
To choose hope over fear… over, and over, and over again.
So, while you may feel fragile and scared, you are actually becoming stronger and braver with every challenge, decision, and moment you encounter.
My fellow NICU mama, I ask one more act of courage from you: the next time you gaze at your tiny warrior with pride at how brave they are and how far they’ve come, turn to the mirror and recognize the other courageous warrior looking back at you, too.”
Love,
Jillian
More of Jillian + Her Son’s NICU Journey:
“In May 2021, I was 17.5 weeks pregnant with our first baby when my water broke prematurely (premature preterm rupture of membranes or PPROM). While most women go into labor within a few days, I stayed on strict bed rest for the next 14 weeks (5 at home, 9 in the hospital) and gave birth to our son right before 32 weeks.
We knew if he survived all of this, there would be a NICU stay, so it was a silver lining that we were able to mentally prepare ahead of time. He spent 5 weeks in the NICU to get stronger, grow his lungs, and learn how to feed. We moved in with him after he moved to a private room a week in and were there for every twist and turn that came with this journey.
It was the hardest chapter of our lives, but we left infinitely stronger, and with a new purpose to help other families get through their own PPROM and NICU journeys. I see and appreciate that in you all, too.”
