September is NICU Awareness Month
My daughter is a NICU Princess Warrior. She spent 2 weeks and 2 days in the awesome NICU at Our Lady of the Lords Women and Children’s Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana and even came home on Mother’s Day in 2018! The best Mother’s Day a first time mom could ask for!!
It was April 27th, 2018 and my husband had just left for work at 5:30 am. I had drifted off back to sleep as I had just stopped working a week prior and then BOOM my water broke. It woke me straight up. Although I had never delivered a baby, I knew that it had to be my water breaking. All I was concerned with was getting straight to the hospital and making sure I didn’t lose this pregnancy as I had lost so many prior in my life. I gathered up my purse, some snacks, my charger and I jumped in my jeep. The first thing I did was call my husband to tell him. Then, the next call was to the hospital to let them know who I was and please be waiting downstairs. In fact, they were absolutely waiting and this is where it all began. Yes, I drove myself to the hospital, which was approximately 17 mins. Jesus took the wheel that morning for sure!!
My daughter was born via c-section at 2:49 pm. Her daddy cut the cord, then she was off to what is now known to us as the best NICU we could have ever asked for. Once I came out of recovery, I was taken upstairs to see her before being taken to my room. The nurse was so amazing. Although my daughter was hooked up to cords and such, they took her out of the isolette box and handed her to me. I put her in my gown on my chest and it’s as if she sunk right back into me.
The feeling of togetherness is forever embedded in my soul.
What is the NICU? When babies are born early, have health problems, or a difficult birth they go to the hospital’s NICU. NICU stands for “neonatal intensive care unit.” There, babies get around-the-clock care from a team of experts.
Although my daughter was in the NICU, there was nothing wrong with her. She was only born early and tiny, being that she was 4 pounds 6 ounces and 16.5 long. She was born at 33 weeks 4 days gestation so she had to be there until she grew a bit more. However it was GOD’S perfect plan. Being a first time momma at 49 and having no family here, the NICU doctors, nurses and staff were there to give me a team of experts to help me, to guide me and to give me a wealth of knowledge.
I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.
I was shown how to breastfeed my daughter, how to swaddle her, and how to do so many things that had I been home alone, I’m not so sure I would have known. As if it could be any more amazing to have this support as a first time mom. Although I didn’t get the birth plan I had anticipated, I got the birth plan that was already planned for us by perfect design. The hardest part of the whole 2 weeks and 2 days was leaving her there at night so that I could get some rest. I was very hesitant once I was discharged from the hospital after 4 days, but I knew that she would be fine for the few hours I had to go sleep and shower each night. I would get there every morning at 8am. She was on a feeding schedule of every 3 hours starting at 9am. I would then leave at 4pm to go home, nap, and shower. Then I waited for my husband. We would eat and return to the NICU at 7pm, give her her 9pm feeding, and love on her until 10pm when we would leave each night.
I pumped before leaving which gave Daddy extra time with her by himself.Looking back over and over again, all I ever feel is complete gratefulness, happiness, and joy knowing that my Miracle Baby came into this world with so much love from her Mommy and Daddy.
Then to have such an amazing experience in our NICU over here in Lafayette, Louisiana, we could not be more appreciative and happy to call our little Tex-Mex Cajun a true NICU Warrior Princess. 💜
