Ashley, Michigan

From Crisis to Care

I’m a mom to one amazing daughter, Valencia, who was born six weeks early and spent her first ten days in the NICU.

Those early days were overwhelming. I was recovering from a C-section, caring for a medically fragile newborn, and trying to hold everything together. At the time, I worked remotely for a California-based company, but because I hadn’t been there a full year, I didn’t qualify for paid leave or job protection.

I was scared, exhausted, and figuring everything out while my baby fought to grow stronger.

Ashley

When Child Care Was Out of Reach

Once Valencia came home, our pediatrician advised us to keep her away from other children for health reasons. But even if that hadn’t been the case, child care wasn’t available. Every center within 20 minutes of us had an 18-month waitlist.

We had no choice but to hire a nanny at $500 a week, plus taxes and workers’ compensation. At the same time, we were hit with a $150,000 hospital bill. Even with insurance, we still owed $6,000.

To make it work, we sacrificed savings, postponed home repairs, and pushed through intense stress. I stayed in a toxic work environment because we needed the bonus just to stay afloat.

It shouldn’t be this hard to care for your baby and keep your job.

Ashley

Why Believing in Babies Requires Action

Eventually, our daughter was able to enroll in a child care center, and that stability made a real difference. But I know how close we came to falling through the cracks.

Without the NICU team connecting us to resources like parent education, developmental screenings, and a local nonprofit social worker, we wouldn’t have known where to turn.

Believing in babies means showing up early with paid leave, mental health care, and affordable child care. These shouldn’t be privileges. They should be guaranteed.

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