My son, L, was born at HFH Detroit. Early on in my pregnancy, I learned he had Down Syndrome, which caused anxiety as he was my third child, and it was hard to learn he would be “different” than his sisters. However, we were thrilled to welcome him and start our new journey. Within the first few days of his life, he had some hematology complications, which ultimately led to a stay in the NICU. Being only a few days post-partum, my emotions were very high, and it was difficult to see my son hooked up to machines, needing labs and other care. The nursing team and physicians were amazing, not only putting me at ease but also validating how I was feeling. The second or third night, I was really struggling mentally. I was desperate to hold my son in private, lying down and doing skin to skin to try to help him nurse and do all the things I did with his sisters at 5 days old.

Maggie Starr was our night nurse, and she was sweet, kind, and such a calming presence. As a mother herself, I could tell she understood how overwhelmed I felt because, as I sat there crying, almost sobbing to her in a chair about my son, missing my daughters, how long we would be there, and all the things that come with a NICU stay, she just listened and comforted me. When I told her I just wanted to be able to lie down with my son, she gave us the amazing option to do just that and set us up to sleep with our son overnight in the Pod. I’ll never forget her kindness and what that meant to me.

Maggie provided me with so much comfort care, a desperate mother who just needed one night to reset and get my emotions in check, and comfort my son. Although we didn’t really sleep because his machines wouldn’t stop beeping, it was one of the best nights of my life because I got to lie with my son. L is now 4.5 months old and doing amazing. Maggie will always hold a very special place in my heart, especially during one of the hardest times I’ve experienced as a parent. She went out of her way to give me a safe space to grieve and gave me the gift of private time with my son. Thank you, Maggie, and to all the NICU staff at HFH Detroit. I will forever be grateful to each of you, and I don’t think I can find the right words to fully express that. The work you do daily is truly incredible, and you somehow manage to make the “scary NICU” a comforting place.