Dear NICU

Dear NICU,

I know I've been pretty hard on you these past couple of months. I felt like you were holding my girls in a baby prison and it drove me crazy that I couldn't bring them home. You had so many rules I had to follow that it seemed like you were big brother watching over me. But, now that Harper and Eliza are home with me, I realize there were actually a lot of positive things that came out of your involvement in our life. So, here, in no particular order, are the things I thank you for:

Thanks for putting my husband through "Daddy Boot Camp". I know he wouldn't be so hands on without your help. He can now change a diaper like a champ.
Thanks for teaching my girls how to eat from the breast and from bottles and use a pacifier. Nipple diversity is a lifesaver!
Thanks for teaching us how to swaddle like masters. Now, I can show any blanket who's boss.
Thanks for introducing me to so many other strong, amazing NICU moms. Now I have new friends who understand what I have been through and my girls have playmates their own age.
Thanks for teaching me patience. I know it will help me as I embark on my new role as a mom.
Thanks for providing so many wonderful caregivers for my girls. The nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors and clerks were all smart, amazing people. I never felt worried leaving Harper and Eliza in their care.
Thanks for being so loud. After sleeping through all the alarms, beeps and cries of other babies while staying with you, my girls can snooze through anything!
Thanks for encouraging me to feed my daughters breast milk. I pumped and pumped and pumped and now I have a freezer full of milk for later and a great milk supply to nourish my babies.
Thanks for giving me time to heal from my c-section. Even though I was sad I couldn't bring the twins home, it was a big help to be able to sleep and heal while you watched over them.
Thanks for getting my babies on a feeding schedule. They wake up every 3-4 hours like clockwork!

But, most of all, thanks for being there when we needed you most. I know if it weren't for you, my girls wouldn't be healthy and home with me right now.

Yours Truly,
Natalie.