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Sitting patiently waiting to get buzzed in.
Not knowing exactly what to say.
Hearing all these machines, rings, and dings.
Seeing very few parents.
Hearing cries that don’t sound strong enough.
Washing my hands longer than I thought was possible, even though I won’t be touching her.
Walking over to her incubator.
Seeing her beautiful face.
My niece. She’s perfect. She’s so small. So fragile. So weak, yet so strong.
My heart aches for my brother and sister-in-law. This is not what they signed up for, not what they expected. They’re good people. No one deserves this… Babies are supposed to be born on time – healthy and strong.
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My sweet little niece was born just shy of 28 weeks. As I held my precious two month old in my arms when I got the call, all I could do was cry, pray, and continue to think, “There’s supposed to be five months between the two of you. Not just two.”
The next few days were a whirlwind for me, so I cannot even begin to imagine what they must have been like for my brother and sister-in-law.
She was small, but she was a fighter. Her mom was ok. Taking the baby was a necessity. It was the only way to save them both, and thankfully it had worked…for now.
Now we wait and pray. We hope for good reports. We visit. We pray more. We make meals to send to the my brother’s house. We hire people to clean so they have less to worry about when they go home. We ask how they’re doing. We give them space. Nothing is enough. Nothing will bring her home. We want to help. But we don’t know how.
We get a text update and rejoice that things are going well!
We get another update that she caught something. We pray harder. We will this sweet baby girl to fight with everything she has.
We wait for those glorious texts and Facebook updates. We will pray harder and praise God for hearing all the prayers.
We pray for strength for her parents. They are going through more than any of us can understand.
A few days later there’s a picture update. Mom and dad are smiling holding their petite little girl.
She gets moved to the stable side of the NICU where the strongest babies go.
Prayers are working!
She’s been there so long…
The phone call comes in that she’s coming home. We can come visit her again! The cousins get to meet! It was something I’m not sure would ever happen. I didn’t know if my brother would get to bring his perfect little girl home, but she’s strong enough to officially be welcomed to their home.
We go for a visit. She’s still small, but she’s strong. Her battle isn’t over, but she’s come so far. Getting to come home is a HUGE victory. She did it sooner than the doctors anticipated. Mom and dad watch her like a hawk, and I’m sure God is watching even more closely. She’ll be ok.
She’ll get to grow up and play with her cousin. She’ll get to ride horses. She’ll get to play with her daddy. She’ll be a queen just like her mommy. She’ll be perfect. She is my niece, and I love her.
Princess SB, thank you for being such a perfect little fighter. We all love you more than you know!
Love,
~Aunt Heather
oh my..had not seen this before..wonder if I can quit sobbing…. Prayers do work!!!
Babies change our lives for the better. Seeing what added strength some have makes them even more special and makes you appreciate what the Lord gives us.