Dear NICU Nurse (my version)

I recently read a blog in which the mama-author wrote a letter addressed to the NICU nurses she encountered when her baby was born. It brought up such familiar feelings and emotions to me as I read it that I decided I'd like to write a letter like that as well. Though this mom's child had a NICU stay much longer and more intense than Burkley's, I thought I would still enjoy recounting our adventure in light of all the hard work our nurses put in to give us the best stay possible given the circumstances.

So, here goes:

Dear NICU Nurse,

Thank you. Thank you for working your long, tireless shifts that to us moms mark the time of day or night. Thank you for seeming to love your job. And my child. Thank you for rooting along with us for each gram gained and each tube removed.

It felt so special when you'd comment about how you liked our son's name, or noticed something cute about him, or the time I stumbled into the NICU from my recovery room in the middle of the night to find you snuggling him and you told me, "I can't help it, he's just so snuggly!" It filled me with joy to know that someone cared enough about my son to snuggle him when I was away.

Thank you for letting me sleep and coming to wake me when he needed to be fed. Looking back, I hate that I spent some time sleeping away from him, but I'm so grateful that you came to wake me or even brought him to me when you saw his hunger cues, without waiting to the point when he'd be crying.

Thank you for chatting with me about your personal life and asking questions about mine. I feel like we made friends with you and even still, almost three years later, I wonder what you are up to outside of work.

Thank you for answering my endless questions and encouraging me with any piece of positive news. Thank you for giving us tips on how to get breastfeeding off to the best start when taking into consideration our little guy was being fed through a tube the first few days of his life. Thank you for never suggesting formula or other supplementation once I indicated how important it was to me that he only receive my milk.

Thank you for giving us instructions, demonstrations, and care even though you've likely done the same instructions and demonstrations hundreds of times for countless parents.

Thank you for never seeming annoyed by the revolving door of visitors our huge family created, and always happily buzzing people in.

Thank you for creating so much trust between us while we were there that we had enough trust to leave to get some time just for us, away from the dark, quiet zone of weak, tiny babies.

Burkley being whisked away by a NICU nurse

You were the first person to hold my baby, and the face he saw the most in his first hours of life. Thank you for not taking advantage of that and for treating him with love, respect, and care, while I longed to know how he was and what was happening to him.

Thank you for decorating his sign with his name and yours, making it feel so personal and special in his little room.

Thank you for letting me take charge and be in control and be the Mama with as many details as I could.

I never knew hard tireless your job is and can't imagine dealing with the pain and stress you see each day. Your patience and dedication does not go unnoticed and helps make a scary, nerve-wracking, and exhausting situation just a little bit more tolerable.

I can't imagine what our experience would be without you.
Thank you,
Adrienne