Love, Shayna

Dear NICU Mama,

I hope you know how BEAUTIFUL you are!

Every day of my long but short six-month pregnancy and five month stay in the NICU, I didn’t feel beautiful at all. Not even in the slightest. Don't get me wrong, I had my loving husband and mother there every step of the way to remind me how beautiful I was/am. But when I was pregnant, I was sick four out of the six months and during the NICU stay my focus was my daughter, so my appearance really didn’t matter to me.

When you have a child in the NICU, the last thing on your mind is making sure your hair and make up are done! Post-Partum for me began far before I had my daughter, as I was caught up in my thoughts and depression. I felt myself slipping away and I just didn’t care to do anything for myself anymore. I hope that you know that you are NOT alone and that you are beyond beautiful.

Love,

Shayna

More of Shayna + Railyn’s NICU Journey:

Shayna had her daughter at 23 weeks. Railyn was born weighing 1lb and 3oz. Although she stayed in the NICU for 5 months, Shayna never missed a day! Being a stay at home mother began before she had Railyn due to her being on bed-rest. The first time Railyn opened her eyes was a month after birth, and the first time Shayna and her husband held Railyn was a month and a half after she was born.

The first scariest thing she experienced while Railyn was in the NICU was the first time she held her. She was extubated & her vitals dropped really low. Shayna’s favorite thing was calling the NICU after shift change and finding out that Railyn had gained weight because she knew that was another step closer to home.

Closer to the end of the NICU stay she was frustrated because she wanted her baby home more than ever and just couldn't see what the doctors did as to why she needed to stay longer. Needless to say, Railyn is now about to be 1 years old this year and she is doing phenomenal with NO MEDICATIONS & NO medical conditions. She is the healthiest 23-weaker her pediatrician has ever seen!