NICU Mama isn’t typically on the list of things you expect while you are expecting, unless you are a veteran NICU Mama. After our first-born baby girl made her grand entrance at a mere 25 weeks, we had different expectations when expecting baby number two. While lining up our specialists we also considered which hospital we wanted to align ourselves with for delivery in case we delivered early again.
We knew we needed a hospital equipped with at least a level III NICU since our first born needed critical care support. When we spoke with AdventHealth for Children to ask questions and spoke with other NICU graduate families, we knew that AdventHealth was where we needed to be.
Every week that we made it past 25 weeks was such a gift as we knew that each week our little bundle grew stronger. He finally made his entrance at 35 weeks. The NICU staff made us feel so welcome when we visited our little Jackson for the first time. They had a rocking chair set up for me to hold him while we were surrounded by the familiar dings of the equipment. Staff was ready with any information we needed, and we knew we had made the perfect decision. It’s no wonder that for the 2nd year in a row AdventHealth for Children has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the Best Children’s Hospital for newborn care in the state of Florida.
We fell back into another familiar routine which was having family come to visit for the first time in the hospital before we could bring him home. All visitors were checked in and given instructions on how to clean hands before entering. While this was pre-Covid and today we have different challenges, the team at AdventHealth for Children is committed to making it a safe place for families to be able to return to, together.
We are so thankful for everything that the team at AdventHealth for Children did for Jackson but mostly what they did for our family. They were there with respiratory support, neonatologist, lactation specialists and even made big sister feel special when she went to visit for the first time. While the NICU is not the first place anyone hopes to end up after a baby, being surrounded by support during a trying time is such a comfort.
Jackson just graduated Kindergarten and is a thriving big kid who is funny, smart and energetic. We have AdventHealth for Children to thank for helping him get to where he is today by turning his rocky start into a solid foundation.
