Love, Kamille

“Dear NICU Mama, You can be so grateful for the time you had to prepare for your NICU stay and still grieve the experience itself. Some people may tell you it’s better that you know you are going to be in the hospital, that you can prepare yourself for the NICU. But the truth is, nothing can really prepare you for life in the NICU. Maybe you did the research. Maybe you even toured the NICU and met with your baby’s future surgeons.

Once you are there, it’s okay if you find yourself in survival mode just like everyone else. You will watch your baby fight, pray for their neighbors, and come home a different person. You’ll be stronger and have a little more medical knowledge than you did before. You’ll become a NICU mom, which means you’re just a little more of everything—a little more tough, a little more brave, a little more compassionate, and a little more resourceful.”

Love,
Kamille

More of Kamille + Owen’s NICU Journey:

“Owen was due on my birthday, two days after Christmas. At our 20-week anatomy scan, we found out he had Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), a rare disease that meant his diaphragm didn’t close completely. His stomach and intestines moved into his chest, which constricted the growth of his left lung and would likely result in severe pulmonary hypertension. The rest of my pregnancy was spent following up with doctors and specialists, preparing for his inevitably challenging birth. 

We decided to deliver at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston where they’d handled CDH cases before. I was induced at 39 weeks but turned septic after 26 hours of labor. While we did not plan for an emergency C-section, we knew Owen would be whisked away to a level IV NICU immediately after birth. He was born on 12/23/2019, two days before Christmas, and was immediately intubated and sedated. At three days old, he had his bedside repair surgery. There was talk of a g-tube placement and going home on oxygen, but each day Owen surprised everyone by doing better. His team pushed him as far as he would go, and Owen was a fighter.

We finally came home on 01/15/2020, three weeks after he was born. No one could believe his recovery period. They prepared us for a 6-8 week minimum stay, but Owen was ready to come home sooner. We’re so proud of him and incredibly grateful for the team that listened and knew him.”