NICU Awareness Month

I have been wanting so badly to start blogging as a way for you guys to get to know the family behind the business so I figured this would be a great time to write my first post as September is NICU Awareness Month and we have an amazing story to about our own little NICU miracle. 

September is NICU Awareness month ❤️ 

A lot of people associate NICU stays with premature babies but there are endless reasons for NICU stays.

Our sweet miracle was diagnosed with Gastroschisis at our 20 week ultrasound. Gastroschisis is a birth defect that causes a small hole next to the umbilical cord, resulting in the intestines forming and growing outside of the body. 

Kaden was born full term and miraculously, a natural birth. Immediately after being born, he was rushed into surgery for the first step in correcting the problem. We did not even get to hold him.

Following that surgery he spent a total of 10 weeks in the NUCU. It was the most agonizing 2 1/2 months of my life. Any mother who has been discharged from the hospital only to have to leave their newborn behind knows that ride home is filled with so much despair. 

Kaden spent the first 7 days completely sedated. Seeing your newborn in such a state is heart-wrenching and you feel utterly hopeless. Kaden then had the second surgery to complete the final stage of the repair on the 7th day of his stay. 

He spent about another week or two sedated before he was slowly brought back to. Still ventilated, we were unable to hold our newborn son for nearly 4 weeks.

The following few weeks would require feed training before he’d be released to go home at 10 weeks old, two weeks before Christmas. 

The nurses that work with NICU babies are a special breed of people. I’m so thankful for them. I’m so thankful for the volunteers who came in to comfort and sing to my sweet boy when we could not be there. I am thankful to the amazing surgeon who constantly reassured us during a terribly scary time. 

Please keep all the NICU babies and their families in your thoughts. They’re journeys are often long and so difficult. 

❤️ Proud NICU Mama

One of the organizations that played a huge role in supporting us during our stay was Miracles Babies - San Diego Visit their website for ways to donate or help. They are an AMAZING organization.