09/02/2026
September is NICU Awareness Month, and I honestly didn’t even know that until today. Waylon spent the beginning of his life in both the NICU and PICU, so this is something that will always be very personal to me.
I still remember the second night after he was born. I was crying so hard that his dad was asking the nurses if they could give me something to calm me down because he was scared I was going to rupture my stitches. I just kept crying and saying, “I just want my baby.”
I remember seeing tubes and wires I didn’t understand, asking for explanations of tests and terms I had never heard before, and learning a side of the medical field that no parent should ever have to learn.
You learn how to read monitors. You learn what numbers are good and what numbers are scary. You learn words you never wanted to know because suddenly understanding them means understanding what is happening to your baby.
I remember the moment he coded. I remember sending my sister a text that said, “Waylon coded. Call EVERYONE.” In that moment, I genuinely thought my baby had died. That is a fear and a memory that never leaves you.
That experience changes you, and because of it, I want to do something this month for the families who are sitting where I once sat.
I couldn’t be more grateful for the hospital and every person who cared for Waylon. I want the families who are in those rooms right now to know that they are loved, they are thought about, and they are not forgotten. These babies are so incredibly strong, and so are their families. ❤️
I also want to say thank you to my family who stood beside me through some of the darkest and hardest days of my life. Thank you for being there when I didn’t know how I was going to make it through, and thank you for still showing up and showing out for Waylon today. I will never be able to fully explain how much that has meant to me.
This month, I want to raise money to put together donations for NICU families and also provide hats for the babies. Something small to remind those parents that somebody is thinking about them and to give a little love to the tiny babies fighting so hard.
If you would like to help, you can donate through PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo. In the notes, just put “Hats,” “NICU,” or “Hospital,” and I’ll make sure your donation gets where it’s supposed to.
Every little bit helps, whether it goes toward hats for the babies or something for the families spending their days and nights beside a hospital bed.
This is something so close to my heart, and I would love to use September to give back to the families who are living a chapter I will never forget. 🤍❤️
Cashapp -$fightingtrials
PayPal -
Venmo - https://venmo.com/u/Christina-Hall-458
