Amelia's life has been very short so far, but her journey has felt very long. It started when we learned my cervix was shortened to only 0.5 centimeters and beginning to open at only 24 weeks gestation. I began taking medications to help keep Amelia inside longer and give her more time to grow, and we were told that she could come any day but I might also make it to term. I continued to work my regular schedule, but with some modifications regarding limits to what I could do physically and strict instructions to stay close to the hospital. We were blessed to make it another six weeks, and at 31 weeks gestation my water broke. I was admitted to the hospital on bedrest and put on antibiotics, again in an attempt to keep Amelia growing inside as long as possible. I made contact with my employer right away in an attempt to get approval to work remotely while on bedrest to reserve my leave for after Amelia was born, but I had to jump through multiple hoops, fill out lots of paperwork, and make daily phone calls. It took over a week to get everything sorted, and the day I received notice I was approved for telework I began having contractions - Amelia decided she was ready to come meet us!

We were very fortunate that labor and delivery went smoothly, and Amelia was doing well considering she was born at only 32 weeks gestation. I continued to be on leave while I recovered from delivery and to be able to be at the hospital with Amelia every day after I was discharged.  My husband took a few days off following Amelia's birth, but then needed to return to work. He and I drove back and forth between Hastings and Minneapolis in order to still be home for Amelia's older brother and care for him, while also trying to be there for Amelia to care for and bond with her. We were offered a transfer for Amelia to the St. Paul Children's Hospital location in order to shorten our travel time, which we were very grateful for and accepted.

Amelia is now six weeks old and 38 weeks gestation and we are eager to be able to take her home, but we aren't sure when that will be possible because she is having difficulty swallowing and learning to eat on her own. She continues to eat through a feeding tube and will possibly need further examinations to understand why she has been struggling to eat independently. Meanwhile, I have already used up most of my leave and will need to return to work shortly in order to maintain our insurance benefits and ensure we have enough money to pay our bills. We don't know if Amelia will be able to come home before I return to work or not, and we aren't able to enroll her in daycare immediately when she comes home both due to her care needs and daycare availability. I will need to work reduced hours in order to care for Amelia, whether that be at the hospital or at home. This reduction in income will put a large strain on our already tight budget.

Additionally, we are currently having a lot of issues with my husband's vehicle and have exhausted our repair options. We had planned to try and purchase a different vehicle in July after finishing payments on my car since we can't afford to have more than one car payment, but it now seems we won't be able to make it that long. This worry puts a great strain on us, as we aren't able to be without a reliable vehicle for both of us in order to get to and from work and the hospital, as well as daycare drop off and pick up for our son and care for him.

We feel so blessed in so many ways and are grateful for the blessings we have been given in our situation. Still, we find ourselves in need of financial assistance to make sure this situation doesn't break us and so we can thrive as a family after Amelia is home and healthy and past the point of needing extra care. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story, we know how precious time is and we truly appreciate you considering helping our family bounce back.