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Welcoming Audrey: A High-Risk Pregnancy.
Getting pregnant with Audrey took some time, but we were so happy to finally be expecting a second little girl to our family. Once we shared the happy news with our families, we began putting in the “hard work” on a high risk pregnancy. After delivering Julia, at 29 weeks 1 day, we knew that our next pregnancy would be filled with more appointments and monitoring. But we were in the perfect place to be cared for. Our healthcare team was phenomenal, and I was so happy to see them for a second time around. Because a lot of the reasons why I delivered Julia were still unknown at the…
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Celebrating Bringing Audrey Home.
As a parent of a NNICU baby your child will always have three very special days. The first one is their birthday, the next is the actual due date, and the final one is the day they were cut loose from the NNICU. Even though I had a scheduled date for Audreys birth, there was still a minor hiccup and she spent a short time in the NNICU. Eight days to be exact. But we were able to finally bring her home after what felt like forever! Sometimes that second time around can bring back some really daunting memories of what the NNICU was like with a very premature baby.…
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Surviving the NNICU as a new mom.
This time of year really elicits all the feels from me. Four short years ago we were sitting in the NNICU, waiting so patiently to bring our sweet little girl home. Those 50 days felt like an eternity, but we survived it- somehow. The NNICU really worked me over- emotionally. I felt like I was in the scene of the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy’s house was spinning. I felt lost, isolated, terrified, and really numb. The NNICU can really be a terrifying place for a (first time) parent. The memories that I have of meeting my daughter for the first time are something that I work so hard to…
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A letter to Audrey, on your First Birthday
My sweet, sweet little girl, where did this last year go? It is so hard to believe that you are turning One in a couple weeks. That saying that the years are short but the days are long, could not be more true in this moment. This last year has felt like a blur, if I am being quite honest. I wish I could go back in time and just relive some of those little moments that I felt went by too quickly. I just want more time with you as a little baby. More time to snuggle each other, to stare into your beautiful blue eyes, just plain old…
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Julia turns 4
It feels like a lifetime ago that I sat in a hospital bed wondering if we would ever see a fourth birthday. Looking outside of that snowy hospital room window, I couldn’t even imagine what life could be like without her. Little did I know what would unfold in the early hours of February 6, 2016. After what felt like a lifetime, I was finally able to hold Julia 2 entire days after she was born. Exhausted from the chaotic events leading up to her birth and afterwards, I sat on a hospital recliner propped by pillows, sore from surgery and held my girl for the first time. I sat…
