Our NICU Story

In March of 2020, I was thrilled to see two pink lines slowly appear on a home pregnancy test.

At just six weeks, panic set in as I began bleeding.

A nerve-wracking trip to the emergency room revealed that I had a subchorionic hemorrhage.

Fortunately, by the time I had my first OB appointment at 11 weeks, the bleeding had stopped, and the ultrasound showed no signs of the hemorrhage.

With that reassurance, we planned for a smooth pregnancy.

The day I turned 23 weeks, I noticed clear, watery discharge. Late that evening, I called my OB's after-hours line. I described my symptoms to the nurse, who told me to come to Labor & Delivery to check for leaking amniotic fluid.

I vividly remember telling her, "I'm only 23 weeks."

After hanging up with the nurse, we made the journey to the hospital, where we planned to deliver, about 2.5 hours from home. The ride to the hospital was calm.

I was sure they would tell us it was a normal part of pregnancy and send us on our way.

I didn't take a phone charger, a change of clothes, anything.

We were in no way prepared for what was about to happen.

I'll never forget the moment the doctor returned to the room and said, "The Amnisure was positive, and you are 2 centimeters dilated."

Our world began to crumble.

Around 5:00 am, at 23 weeks 1 day, I was admitted to Labor & Delivery and given steroids for our baby girl's lungs and antibiotics to prevent infection since my water had been broken for so long.

The official diagnosis was Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) and an Incompetent Cervix.

After it was clear I wasn't going into labor right away, I was moved to PCU in hopes of staying pregnant for another 11 weeks. Coping with the reality that I wouldn't be leaving the hospital pregnant was incredibly hard.

Despite our hope and attempt to prolong my pregnancy, I went into labor ten days after I was admitted. At just 24 weeks 4 days, our baby girl arrived, weighing 1 pound 13 ounces and measuring 13.5 inches long.

When she was nine days old, we were transferred from our Level III NICU in Springfield, MO, to a Level IV NICU in St. Louis for her PDA ligation.

In total, we spent 104 days in the NICU.

The NICU Notebook Co.

During our early days in the NICU, I scribbled notes on scraps of paper before transitioning to a journal I found online.

While thankful for having a place to document our journey, I often wished for more detailed prompts or additional features.

This longing inspired me to create something that could help me navigate my birth trauma and begin the healing process while also offering support to other NICU families. 

And so, The NICU Notebook® came to life.