I recall having my 1st baby, and laying in the hospital with her crib next to me. A nurse came and suggested taking her to the nursery for a few hours so I sleep. I said no.
The next night I was very tired and wanted the nurse to take her there. She turned pale and said, “Your baby is supposed to stay with you, because the nursery had been temporarily closed earlier that afternoon due to a staffing issue. Her voice softened as she explained, carefully choosing her words so she wouldn’t frighten me in my exhausted state.
I remember gripping the blanket with confusion as she assured me that nothing was wrong, only that they couldn’t safely monitor the infants unless every station was fully staffed. I nodded, relieved, but the moment stayed with me—not because of fear, but because I realized how deeply the tiny rhythm of my daughter’s breathing had already anchored itself into my world. It was the first time I understood how quickly a simple shift in circumstances could ignite a storm of worry in a parent’s heart.
Over the next few days in the hospital, I found myself observing the way life seemed to move around us.
Nurses hurried down hallways, new parents whispered anxiously to their partners, and quiet lull
What happened next changed everything…
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