After a normal and fairly easy pregnancy, I was very surprised to go into labor with my son at 35 weeks. I was nervous that being born early would have risks, but the doctor and nurses assured me that, while being born 5 weeks early has some risks, it wasn't completely uncommon and most babies born 5 weeks early have very few setbacks. After 29 long hours of labor, my sweet little boy came into the world. I first noticed his very blue color and I waited for what seemed like forever for that first gasping breath. A nurse handed him to me and I could feel his little body struggling to get oxygen into his little lungs. After only moments of getting to hold him, they realized he needed help, and quickly swept him away. He was taken to the NICU to get the help he needed breathing. After trying to get his lungs working the way they should, the doctor realized something was wrong and began running a battery of tests. Finally, the results came back that his slightly underdeveloped lungs had pneumonia. He spent a total of 11 days in the NICU. Over those 11 days, I was in awe of the doctors and nurses who nurtured and cared for not only my son, but also me. I was a terrified mama and they all went out of their way to comfort me. The nurses celebrated every success he had with me and encouraged me through any setbacks we had. I am forever grateful to the nurses and doctors who selflessly cared for my son during his time in the NICU. My son was in the NICU over Valentine's Day. The picture I'm sharing is of the Valentine's Day card the sweet nurses made for me from my son. 😍