Days in the NICU...

I have worked now as a graduate nurse in the NICU for about three weeks now. It is amazing that I went from my first day, feeding babies who were close to going home, to these days, taking care of babies that need respiratory support and are smaller than any baby I ever thought I would hold. The NICU is an amazing place. It's full of technology and beeps and hustle and bustle. But it's also a place of hope and miracles, and it is not a bad place to spend the work day!

I find inspiring the parents who are there for the day-to-day, adjusting to the fact that their birth story didn't work out the way that they expected to, and rearranging their lives to stand by their little fighters and help them fight. The will to live in these babies is amazing...and if we can support them and help them grow long enough, that is just what they do.

Some of the most special moments I have had are interactions with these amazing parents. The smile on a mom's face when you tell her that she is going to be able to hold her baby for the first time is something that I wish you could bottle up and sell. It is that magical. Sharing the progress that the babies have made and giving the parents a little bit of good news is another great feeling. It's wonderful to tell someone that her baby has done well in his trial off of CPAP and is now just breathing the same air that she and I are breathing. And watching the love in the eyes of the parents, mixed with a little bit of uncertainty and fear, reminds me of why I wanted to do this job in the first place. I can help them through these days. I can help make it better. In the NICU, I feel like I have found my home...