Dear NICU Team,
Thank you. For some moments in your life, there are simply no words to express the gratitude in your heart.
Thank you for those first photos that were brought to me while I was in recovery. Those images carried me through until I could see and touch my child for the very first time.
Thank you for your quick response and the years of knowledge that went into providing the care for my child that saved his life and allowed us to eventually take him home.
Thank you for loving Peter - for caring for him day and night. Thank you for all the diaper changes and tube feeds, the endless blood draws, and the multiple reintubations. (He was quite the little stinker with that tube, wasn't he?)
Thank you for being patient with me as I advocated for my child. Thank you for telling me my breastmilk was "adequate."
Thank you for calling the neonatologist at the crack of dawn when I didn't want a new iv placed right away because I just wanted him to have a break from all the sticking and poking. And to the neonatologist - thank you for agreeing to let it wait for a bit.
Thank you for teaching me how to place a feeding tube so that we could take him home sooner, even though he didn't end up requiring it when we left.
Thank you for providing a place for me to study and rest in his room.
Thank you for being so kind to his siblings during his stay. Thank you for learning their names and making them feel just as important as their brother.
I know there were days that were a struggle and I know that there were days when you went home and worried about him until you saw him again on you next shift, and I am so grateful that you held space in your heart for him.
Thank you for thinking of him even now, ten years later, and wondering how he is doing now.
He's doing incredible. Thanks to you.
September is NICU Awareness Month. This is a month to acknowledge and honor our NICU familes, NICU warriors, and our dedicated NICU teams.
Thank You!
Click here for a free downloadable Thank You card for your NICU team!
Do you have a NICU story to share? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!