04 | Surviving the NICU - Nicole Braddy

Nicole Braddy is sharing her family's story of faith and promises kept through the birth of her first child. Nicole and her husband, Bryan, were married in January and soon learned they were expecting their first child together. They already had two daughters, NeVaeh and BryAna, who Nicole lovingly refers to as her bonus daughters. They were excited to be on their new journey together. Her pregnancy was going well and relatively uneventful, aside from the usual morning sickness and tiredness. When she arrived at her 28-week check up, she reported to her doctor that she was feeling ill, carrying her baby very low and exhausted. Her doctor recognized the signs of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Preeclampsia often referred to as pre-e, is a life-threatening disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Preeclampsia and related disorders often present with a rapid rise in blood pressure that can lead to seizure, stroke, and multiple organ failures, and even death of the mother and/or baby. The doctor insisted she go to the hospital for a 24-hour observation which turned into her having to be admitted. Nicole was shocked and thankful that her doctor acted quickly.

Due to her symptoms, Nicole's labor was started via induction. She labored with her daughter for 30 hours with her husband by her side. Bryan was able to keep Nicole at peace, as they were concerned about there being no empty NICU beds available during the labor within the state. During this time Nicole states that God began to speak to her husband. He started thinking of the scripture Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Upon delivery of baby Ariyan, a NICU bed became available, and the family did not have to leave the hospital.

Nicole shares for families that could find themselves in similar scenarios;

"Make sure that you tell your doctor how you're feeling every step of the way because I went from feeling fine my prior appointment to feeling awful by the next and He was able to detect the issues and place me under the proper care. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for this."

"Also, keep the faith and when you feel discouraged, envious, or the desires to complain rising from within, do your best to resist by being thankful. There are multiple testimonies of things that happened during this whole ordeal, so we learned that by applying our faith in God's Word to our situations His Word did not return void."

Nicole loves to share their story as an opportunity to teach other families about the onset and complications of preeclampsia and navigating the NICU. For families who may find themselves in a similar situation, she began a blog specifically dedicated to providing information and resources. Check out her blog here. The Braddy family was able to endure a harrowing experience that left them feeling victorious and strengthened as a new family.