Our Story

She was due in April 2017, but was born by Emergency C-Section on the 27^th of February 2017. I was given magnesium to help with the contractions but it didn’t help. They had to take her to the NICU the morning after she was born. She was kind of purple in colour because of the magnesium, she was also really tired and sleepy. When I first saw her, all I could do was kiss her and tell her how much I loved her and that I had been waiting for her for so long. When I got a chance to hold her it was like a dream come true, finally my promise from God! Hannah weighed 4 lbs. 14.5 ounces. She went to the critical NICU the first night because she was having trouble breathing. The second morning, they moved her to a different NICU area and had to put her in an incubator because her temperature was dropping. She was hooked up to different monitors and she ended up getting a feeding tube.

I was discharged from the hospital on Friday but I never left the hospital or my baby’s side. I stayed in her room in the hospital the entire three weeks. My heart was so heavy because I was a 47-year-old first time mom. I wasn’t sure if it was my age that caused the problem, I didn’t know if I had done something wrong along the way. Each time an alarm went off, I would panic. I had anxiety attacks and I lost weight. I would cry silently while she slept. I would sleep on the couch where I could watch the monitors. Every morning, I would rush down to wash my face, brush my teeth and run back to her room. I could hardly eat, which affected pumping coupled with fact that my milk hadn’t come in yet. I gave her, her every bath. I was there for every feed, every three hours around the clock and I changed every diaper. I would do everything the nurses would usually come in to do, except medical treatments. My husband would come after he would close our business and then I would ask him to go home and rest. Hannah was in the NICU for three weeks. It was so emotional and draining. I didn’t realise that I was in pain, I didn’t notice that I wasn’t eating, I would even forget to change my clothes. My whole focus was praying and making sure Hannah was healthy and made it home to us. She was already scheduled to come home when she had a Brady (stopped breathing while sleeping) and had to stay three extra days. Shortly after, she started breastfeeding and they removed the feeding tube. She started gaining weight and she was finally discharged on the 21^st of March 2017, weighing 5 pounds and 4 ounces.

I feel so blessed but I must say it was the most stressful time of my life. But I had the BEST SUPPORT TEAM EVER! My husband, my mom, my family and friends called, texted and visited. They were there for me every single day. Even now I never leave her side. I am now a stay at home mom and I spend my days with my Hannah. I would encourage any parent that is able to spend as much time at the NICU with your child because that is the most intimate bonding time that you and your baby will share. It’s a strong bond, a connection that will never be broken! I am blessed to be Hannah’s mommy.