I was going to deliver my precious daughter who had a long list of medical complexities. I knew going into it that it was going to be a long and emotional road but I could never have predicted how hard it would be for me as a mom, to give birth to my daughter, and not be able to hold or connect with her for many hours as she had to go to the NICU and I had to recover from a cesarean. It was six hours until I was able to go visit my daughter. I was so nervous, anxious, and full of emotion that I had no idea how I was going to respond when I was able to see her. As I went into the room being rolled in a wheelchair by my husband, I was overwhelmed with tears. She was hooked up so many cords and wires and machines, that I wasn’t even sure that it was her. Could this really be my baby? I wasn’t able to hold her due to all of the things she was connected to, so I just sat in the corner and cried for what felt like hours.

Then, we meet our Angel, Laura. Since day one of meeting her, we knew that she was going to be something special. She helped guide me through every stage and every moment of our NICU stay. I was so nervous to contribute to any type of care for our daughter, scared that I was going to mess something up. But Laura helped me realize that I can do all the things that any other mom can do. And some days she simply just would sit with me as I would cry and cry, wondering if this season of our life was ever going to end. The weight of emotion that sits on a mother‘s heart as she watches her daughter struggle to even breathe, or do anything on their own can feel so suffocating. There were many days when I would just burst out everything that was on my mind to Laura. And as I would finish what I was saying, I would think to myself man she probably thinks I’m so insane. But then she would come back with such gracious and encouraging words, that as a mom, it was exactly what I needed in those moments.

Before having my daughter, I thought NICU nurses were just like any other nurse. But wow, I was wrong. Laura is one of a kind. She not only knows how to love and care for her patients, but she also knows how to love and care for the mamas who are sitting bedside in the NICU, praying for the day that they get to go home. Throughout my time in the NICU, Laura, helped me learn what it means to advocate for my child. What it means to find joy in the journey, and what it means to simply take things one moment at a time. I could not have made it through that season of life without her. It was the hardest, most draining, and most character-building time of my life. I am a better mom because of the things Laura taught me through our time in the NICU. I hope everyone gets a nurse as good as Laura.