God's Tiny Miracle

I always wanted to be a mommy. It was never a question that I would grow up and have a beautiful family. My troubles started quickly when my husband and I began trying and were unsuccessful for about 2 years. I found out I had PCOS shortly after and had to go on medication. Pretty quickly after, I was pregnant! I knew God had blessed us with this precious life and I couldn't wait to experience every moment of it. Everything was moving along great until I hit 20 weeks and my doctor became concerned with the baby's size. I was asked to come in for weekly ultrasounds and underwent every possible test to try and figure out what was going on. At 28 weeks, I entered the office and was told I needed to get to the hospital within the hour. I was so confused. I knew Chloe was going to be small, but I had no clue how concerned my doctor was. Shortly after I arrived at the hospital, I was informed that I would be having a baby within a few days. I was placed on monitors and waited for news. After three days, I was informed that I would have a baby that very day. Chloe was born on July 2, 2016 at 12:03pm. She weighed a staggering 1 lb. 14 oz. I didn't get to hold my baby or kiss her sweet head. She was placed in an incubator and rolled away. Chloe has been in the NICU for one month now. She currently weighs 2 lb. 9 oz. She has made so much progress, but every day is a struggle for her.

I am a fourth grade teacher and have saved up time for maternity leave. Because of Chloes condition, many daycares won't take her when she does finally get sent home from the NICU because of her weight. Even if she could go into daycare, the germs she would be exposed to would be extremely harmful to her. According to the FMLA, I can take off 12 weeks from work without losing my job. However, I don't have this much maternity leave time saved up. Unfortunately, my husband and I cannot afford financially for me to stay home unpaid. I am asking for help to allow me to stay home for the 12 weeks and still be able to maintain our household. Thank you for taking the time to read about our journey! Even with its ups and downs, it has given me the greatest gift I could ever ask for!