When I went into pre-term labor at 28 weeks, I figured I'd go on medication and bed rest like when this happened before with my son 3 years prior. I had no idea that I'd be having a baby that night! We tried every medication to stop the contractions and a magnesium wash which resulted in magnesium toxicity leaving me unable to move and losing vision. Then my water broke and I knew my plans had changed. I barely remember all of the specialists coming to tell us what all might happen and what to expect from a baby born 3 months too soon. It was by far the worst day of my life. In the wee hours of the morning later that night, at 5 cm dilated, an army of doctors were there to welcome my daughter into the world. Shockingly I heard a little meow which was her little cry. Before they whisked her off to the NICU, the anesthesiologist asked for them to wheel the incubator by my head so I could see my itty bitty 2 lb 12 oz baby girl. All I could see is a dark head of hair. I didn't see her again for about 10 hours as I was having trouble gaining back the function of my legs after the epidural. When I was finally able to visit her, it was rough. She was soooo small and hooked up to all those tubes and wires. From that day on, we lived test to test, milestone to milestone. She was amazing; my pretty Penny! A little heart murmur, typical brady events, but no major complications! I started by love/hate relationship with my breast pump and spend all my days visiting her even though at first, I could only hold her for about 30-45 minutes a day. We had a 3 year old son at home. I left the hospital each afternoon to pick him up from day car and take him home to have dinner together. My husband would then go back to the NICU to spend until after midnight with her even though he had to go to work a few hours after getting back home.

They called her the rockstar of the NICU. Penny surprised everyone by coming home after "just" 61 days; 2 weeks earlier than they told us to expect. She was still so small, but we were so grateful that we were finally all home together as a family. Today, she is a healthy, very opinionated 2 year old!

I owe everything to the wonderful doctors and especially nurses in the NICU. They took all the time to answer my questions, hold my hand when I was scared, and celebrate each time the tests came back negative! My story is so much easier to tell than many others as mine has such a happy ending! However, I am grateful every day that was the case!