“The doctor sent me straight to the hospital. ‘You could have a stroke.’ I vividly remember the first time I held her. Her eyes would roll into the back of her head. I’ll never forget the fear I felt.”
‘She only has a 50% chance of survival.’ I was just a teen! But I HAD to give her a fighting chance.’: Mom births daughter with Rett Syndrome, ‘I choose to live in the present’
‘We need to deliver this baby NOW!’ The NICU is a dance between life and death. We took one step forward, three steps back.’: Mom of micro preemie to become nurse, ‘I’m giving back’
“Our journey was a rollercoaster. It’s wanting to hold your child, but knowing it is best you don’t sometimes. It’s yearning for normalcy in a world of the unfamiliar. For me, there was no greater fear than going back.”
‘I’m not sure how it was missed. It’s SEVERE.’ How had it happened? I looked at my baby covered in tubes and wires.’: Mom births baby with rare congenital heart defect, ‘She’s our warrior’
“I grieved my daughter and prepared for the worst. Ava’s lips and tongue were slowly looking bluer, followed by her fingers. The memory will never leave me.”
‘This never happens. You’re safe.’ Black women are FOUR times more likely to die during childbirth.’: Mom and baby beat odds, ‘Our bond is unbreakable
“She looked lifeless and was covered in wires. ‘You are so loved. I fought so hard to be with you.’ I soon became too weak to hold her. I realized I was bleeding. I tried to say, ‘Something’s wrong!’ but I passed out.”
‘Everything is going to be OK.’ The first time I saw him so small, I cried. He came nearly 3 months early.’: Mom raises awareness for National Preemie Month, ‘No one can prepare you for the NICU experience’
“Next came fierce determination. I was his mother, and I would do everything in my power to get whatever he needed to survive.”
‘You can’t be pregnant…can you?’ I was an 18-year-old with an IUD in cancer remission. My chances after chemo were next to zero. ‘Of course not mom,’ I laughed.’: Teen mom births 1-pound miracle preemie after cancer, preeclampsia battle
“Next thing I know, I’m in the doctor’s office with a positive pregnancy test and a little 10-weeks fetus flickering on the screen. I went to the gynecologist to find my IUD dangling from my cervix. In my heart, I knew this was something special.”
‘Stay home for the ultrasound.’ After 2 miscarriages, I wanted to protect my husband. ‘Well, here is Baby 1…and here is Baby 2!’ I blacked out.’: Bereaved mom births miracle preemie twin, ‘His brother’s last moments were filled with love’
“We weren’t able to see our twins. Instead, the nurse took my husband’s phone to take photos. When she handed it back she said, ‘You have two boys, but I should warn you, these pictures may seem very graphic.’ I soon learned my baby’s brain had completely split into two.”
‘She’s a preemie! She’ll catch up.’ I felt this mama bear roar deep within me. Autism isn’t a dirty word.’: Mom celebrates daughter’s autism, ‘For us, life is more like a dance than a race’
“I line up rocks with my daughter at the park instead of watching her play with peers. She is a CHILD, not a milestone checklist.”
‘Her heart’s on the wrong side.’ She held the tip of my finger. We thought we beat the odds.’: NICU survivor diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, ‘One day she WILL walk’
“We were having a baby 6 weeks early. ‘I need to hear her cry!’ I entered the world of the unknown.”
‘I saw a look of urgency on the doctor’s face. It was too painful to go to ‘mommy and me’ classes. I kept her from other kids.’: Mom to daughter with Cerebral Palsy shares journey, ‘I focus on what she CAN do’
“She is alive,’ I kept telling myself. ‘I should be grateful.’ But I wasn’t. I was angry.”
