Episode 8: Ella. Gratitude and Kindness are essential for a NICU stay.

Have you ever known something so deep down in your bones to be true, that even when the odds are stacked against you, you know it will work out? That is Alicia’s story of her daughter Ella.

Ella with her 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters.
Photo credit: Katie Warner @katiewarnercreative

Alicia has five living children, and 2 angel babies lost during the second trimester. Despite the heartbreak of their two losses, she knew in her bones that there was a little girl meant to be in their family. When complications started around 15 weeks, she held onto hope. She had never regretted feeling hope for her prior losses and she held on to that same hope for this little girl.

After recurrent bleeding episodes and multiple hospital stays, Ella joined the family in dramatic fashion at 28 weeks, being born in the bed, stuck in the hallway, in a hospital across the country from the family’s home. With humor and honesty, Alicia details how certain practices in the NICU seem so odd and strange, and yet are routine in the NICU. Alicia talks about how maternal self care and her daily gratitude journal were essential to her time in the NICU.

Photo credit: Katie Warner @katiewarnercreative