11/02/2026
💜 NOVEMBER IS PREMATURITY AWARENESS MONTH!
Behind every preemie is a story. A story of strength, courage, uncertainty, hope, and sometimes heartbreak. Every NICU journey looks different, and every single one matters.
Prematurity can look like babies being born earlier than expected with low birth weights, tiny babies fighting to breathe, incubators, ventilators, CPAP machines, feeding tubes, monitors, surgeries, medications, long hospital stays, learning to eat, breathe, grow, and regulate their temperature. Months spent in the NICU, sometimes long after their original due date. Developmental delays, therapies, and lifelong medical challenges. NICU graduates who go on to thrive and do amazing things. Babies who face challenges long after coming home. Families celebrating their baby’s first breath, first feeding, first outfit, and first trip home. It can also look like leaving the hospital with empty arms and broken hearts to families who experience the unimaginable loss of their precious baby.
It is so much more than most people will ever see or understand. But to a family that has walked the path, you know these feelings far too well.
Prematurity isn’t just about how early a baby arrives. It’s about the journey that follows. It’s about the parents who learn a whole new language of medical terms, the families who celebrate milestones that others may take for granted, the siblings who miss their new baby, and the tiny fighters who teach us more about strength than we could ever imagine.
As someone whose own daughter started life in the NICU, this month will always hold a special place in my heart. AnnLee’s 14-day NICU stay changed our family forever and eventually became the reason behind AnnLee’s Violet Light Project.
We know that not every NICU story has the same ending, but every baby deserves to be loved, remembered, celebrated, and supported. Whether your baby spent 14 days, 14 weeks, or never made it home, your journey matters. Your baby matters.
To the NICU parents who are still in the thick of it, those who are celebrating years of growth, and those who carry a lifetime of love and loss: we see you. We celebrate you. We remember with you.
Prematurity is only one part of your baby’s story. It does not define their worth, their strength, or the love they brought into this world.
This November, we celebrate the fighters, honor the angels, support the families, and shine a little extra violet light on every NICU journey. 💜
