Remi Rose

I was never completely sure I wanted to have children. Then I met my husband. He also wasn’t sure, but we fell in love, got married, and eventually decided to try. To our surprise, we got pregnant quickly — we hadn’t even been married a year.

For most of my pregnancy, everything went smoothly. But at 30 weeks, something felt off. That morning, I realized I hadn’t felt her move much. I tried all the usual tricks to wake her up, but nothing worked. Just to be safe, we went to the hospital.

Once we arrived, things moved quickly. The medical team began preparing us for her early arrival. We were nervous, but hopeful. We knew she would be tiny, but we believed she would be mighty.

At 11:05 that night, our daughter, Remi Rose Willis, was born. As a first-time mom, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. But I knew something was wrong. It was too quiet. We heard one small cry before she was rushed to the NICU. My mind was racing, and all I could think about was holding our baby girl.

A little while later, while I was recovering, my husband walked in with the neonatologist. My first question was, “Did she die?” He told me no — but she was very sick. Then I asked, “Is she going …