When I was pregnant, I found out that the baby growing inside of me had Gastroschisis, a condition where the intestines are on the outside of the body. It’s a very scary thing to find out.

Well, I had my little girl on September 30, 2008, at 5:17 p.m.  The doctors were amazing. They took care of me, and they took care of my baby girl. I was on one floor, and she was in the newborn intensive care unit.

The hardest thing for me was that, on the day she was born, I only got to hold her for 15 minutes.

When your baby cries, it’s a motherly thing to pick up and comfort him or her. Well, I couldn’t do that. All I could do was whisper sweet things in my baby girl’s ear, and rub her head, hands and feet.

But, I do want to thank all of the nursing staff and doctors who helped my daughter, Alicea Faith, and me. Thank you all so very much. Thank you again.

Amanda