30 Days of Brave | Clementine

“Our NICU journey started on November 8, 2023 at 0301 AM when our little girl Clementine was born. She was born at 31 weeks and weighed 2lbs 9oz. After 24 hours of monitoring on antepartum due to decelerations and decreased fetal movement I was rushed to the OR for an emergency c-section. A nurse gave us a small glimpse of our girl before she was rushed to the NICU. Finally seeing her, all alone in a small box, didn’t feel real. This had all happened so fast, but both my partner and I were doing our best to adjust to the circumstances.

I felt a sense of familiarity in the NICU. As a nurse, I am familiar with equipment, monitoring, certain terms and jargon. I even did a tour of this same NICU during nursing school. However, ER nursing and NICU nursing are entirely different. Clementine spent 46 days at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital NICU. We spent every second with her that we could. The first week was terrifying, she was having drops in her heart rate frequently and had a small brain bleed. Soon however, she began to gain weight and was getting stronger and stronger. On December 24th, 2023 we got the call that we could take our baby girl home. It was truly a Christmas miracle.

We are so grateful for the care we received at SBCH NICU. Every single member of their team was amazing- nurses, doctors, CNA’s, lactation consultants, family therapists and more. SBCH even set us up with a “family suite” to be close by as we lived an hour away. NICU nurses, especially, are the epitome of bravery. Caring for sick and vulnerable babies is terrifying, and to do so with such grace and expertise is truly amazing. “ NICU Mama, Keelie