Hey There,
I'm Taylor

I'm a dedicated NICU nurse with over 6 years of invaluable experience across all NICU levels. My journey into the world of neonatal care began with a deep-rooted passion for nurturing newborns and supporting their parents. Early in my nursing career, it became evident that the NICU was where I truly belonged.

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Every day I step into the NICU, my mission is clear: to provide the best possible care to every precious baby entrusted to me. However, my perspective underwent a profound transformation when I became a NICU parent myself. The birth of my daughter at just 22.5 weeks gestation challenged me to redefine my role as a nurse, shifting my focus from offering exceptional care to treating every infant as if they were my own.

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My upbringing, as the child of a nurse and a teacher, naturally instilled in me a passion for educating parents with infants in the NICU. I firmly believe in empowering parents with knowledge, ensuring they feel comfortable, informed, and equipped to actively participate in their baby's care. The NICU journey can be emotionally taxing, requiring parents to relinquish a significant degree of control, which can be incredibly challenging, given the often unexpected nature of NICU admissions. However, I've observed that well-informed parents who engage in care activities like skin-to-skin contact tend to have more positive experiences in the NICU.

This conviction led me to embrace the mission of NICU Baby Basics, a cause I'm immensely proud to be a part of. Through NICU Baby Basics, we strive to offer comprehensive support to parents before their baby arrives in the NICU.

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Why NICU Baby Basics?

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As the saying goes, you can't truly understand someone's journey until you've walked a mile in their shoes. My personal experience as a NICU parent showed me the profound emotional toll it can take on parents who hope and pray for their child's survival. Each passing day was filled with fragile hope, sustaining me during a trying time. Yet, hope alone has its limits.

At 22.5 weeks, I found myself on an operating table for an emergency c-section due to infection, torn between my roles as a mother and a NICU nurse. While part of me was a frightened mother praying for my daughter's survival, the other part was in nurse mode, mentally listing the steps needed to stabilize and save her. The relief I felt when I learned that the NICU team had successfully intubated her is indescribable.

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Seeing my tiny daughter swaddled and intubated, I knew she needed to be in the NICU for specialized care. Despite my professional knowledge, I felt scared and overwhelmed by the unknown. Tragically, my daughter passed away that evening, taking with her the last shreds of hope I had held onto.

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Two months later, I returned to my role as a NICU nurse with a profoundly changed perspective. I had experienced life as a NICU parent firsthand, despite my medical background. I understood the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that parents without prior NICU knowledge must endure. This newfound empathy and awareness drove me to provide unwavering support to NICU parents as they embark on a roller-coaster journey.

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This is why I wholeheartedly endorse NICU Baby Basics. I want to equip parents with the knowledge and tools they need for the best possible NICU experience, should their child face an unexpected admission. NICU Baby Basics can make a significant difference in their journey, allowing them to focus on what truly matters: the health and well-being of their precious baby.