On May 6th 2016, Ethan made his way into the world. He was 38 weeks- so our NICU story is not the typical Premi story. He was a healthy size but had a rocky birth. I had a placental abruption and emergency C-Section. Ethan's heart stopped and he was not breathing upon birth. The feeling of scared hopelessness when your child is born but you do not hear a cry the worst feeling- one that you can't even really describe until you go through it. Immediately a team of doctors and nurses surrounded him. They are absolute miracle workers and got him stable while in the operating room and breathing on his own in the first few hours. We could not hold Ethan for 3 days while he was put on a cooling blanket and his internal temp intentionally lowered to reduce the risk of damage to his major organs. Ethan also needed a blood platelets and struggled regulating his blood sugars. This resulted in 17 days in the NICU. I have to agree with so many stories that I have read- the NICU was the best and worst place. The people were so understanding, caring and the best at what they do. You know you and your child are in the best place. But while we were overwhelmed with gratitude we just wanted to take our kiddo home, and had no idea when that would be. 17 days now seems like a snap- but it was the longest 17 days of my life, and a physical and emotional roller coaster. To all the parents out there facing this- I know it does not feel like it, but this too will pass. These memories will slowly blur as you replace them with more and more milestones. Until then-- keep marching, and know that all the parents that have gone through it are thinking of you and praying for you!