✨Update on My Sweet Girl ✨ From Kimberly Shelton

I’m going to be completely honest, even if it’s hard. These past weeks have stripped me down to the most fragile version of myself, the version that cries in parking lots, the version that shakes on long drives, the version that is trying to hold it all together for a tiny baby who is fighting harder than anyone I’ve ever known.

My daughter is now 5 lbs 3 oz, which means she’s gained over a pound since the day she came into this world too early, too small, and needing more support than I ever imagined. She’s off her CPAP now and breathing on her own, she completed her binki trainer, and we’re working on bottles and trying to learn to latch. Watching her fight is the brightest thing in the darkest part of my life.

Breastfeeding has become one of the only things that makes me feel like I’m doing something right in all of this. It’s one of the only places I feel like her mom instead of a visitor, instead of someone just watching through wires and monitors. When she tries to latch, even for a second, I feel my heart come back together in ways I can’t explain. Those moments are small, but they are everything to me. They’re the moments I replay in my mind to get through the ones where I’m falling apart.

What I haven’t fully shared is how much I’m struggling with postpartum anxiety and ocd. It has made this entire experience heavier than I ever expected. My thoughts don’t slow down. I worry constantly, about her, about getting to her on time, about the drive, about the weather, about whether she’s scared or lonely or needing me while I’m still two hours away. The distance twists my anxiety into something that feels unbearable some days. I try to be strong, but the truth is, some nights I break down before I even get out of the hospital parking lot.

And with winter coming the cold, the snow, the dangerous roads, every trip feels like another obstacle between me and my daughter. I hate feeling like the weather can decide whether I get to hold her or feed her or simply sit beside her. Every mile between us hurts in a way I don’t know how to put into words. She needs me close, but truthfully… I need to be close to her too. For my mental health. For her development. For our bond. For everything.

This GoFundMe isn’t about luxury or convenience. It’s about survival, hers and mine. It’s about keeping me near my daughter during the most vulnerable, terrifying time of her life. It’s about giving me a chance to be the mother she needs right now, not from a distance, not through phone calls, not through the fear of a snowy road.

I have been told some people don’t feel comfortable donating through GoFundMe, and that’s okay. I’m grateful for help in any form. I also have:

CashApp: $khalilsmommy03

Venmo: @sheltonkimberly3

And if you prefer apple pay, you can message me privately and I will share my number.

I’m asking with a heart that’s tired, scared, and hopeful all at once:

If you can help, in any way , please know it would change everything for us.

Thank you for every prayer, every kind message, every share, every donation, every bit of support. You are helping me survive one of the hardest emotional battles of my life, and you are helping my little girl continue her fight with someone who loves her more than anything right beside her.

From the bottom of my heart… thank you