Parents of Preemies Day to me is about celebrating our beautiful daughter, Jenna Joyce.
Our NICU journey began the night of November 30, 2008. That morning my mom and I went in for my 32 week ultrasound. My hands, feet, and eyes were very swollen and I had a bad headache. Being my first baby, I thought this was all normal. I was very wrong. I peed in the cup like normal and we were looking at my beautiful little girl on the ultrasound.
The OB comes rushing in and tells the nurse to check my blood pressure right away. I had protein in my urine and my blood pressure was dangerously high. The OB said I had preeclampsia and needed to go to labor and delivery now.
Everything happened so fast. My vision started getting blurry. My husband was called and arrived as well as my dad. I was prepped for an emergency c-section and given a steroid injection to help Jenna’s lungs. I was told my daughter might not cry. I was terrified. At 8:02 my beautiful 3lb 3 oz baby girl came into the world crying. It was the most beautiful sound I ever heard. I didn’t get to touch her as she was taken to the NICU immediately. I don’t remember the rest of the day.
The next day I saw her and everything hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked at my very tiny daughter covered in wires and cried. I never thought I had so many tears in me. I talked to her. Told her I loved her that I was not going to leave her.
The NICU nurses became our second family. We celebrated milestones like getting off the feeding tube, the ventilator, oxygen, and the dreadful car seat test.
Jenna came home in January when she was due February 2, 2009. Although still tiny at 5 lbs 8 oz, she was a fighter. No oxygen for my girl.
To the NICU parents, we are some of the most blessed people. We get to care for the tiniest of angels. The journey is long but there is light at the end of every storm!
Share This Post...