An Untraditional Mothers' Day Video: A NICU Experience Told w/ American Girl Dolls

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An Untraditional Mothers' Day Video: A NICU Experience Told w/ American Girl Dolls

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3 ай бұрын

This is a very slightly edited video of one I posted well over a year ago. I was inspired by ‪@AGTV4Life‬ and the Mothers' Day video she shared this morning (which was also a slight revamp of an existing one). Often videos that are really important to us (content creators) don't get seen by new subscribers simply because they're older and this is a video I always find myself wishing more ppl had seen because it's so important on a personal level.
Content Warning: As the title says, it portrays a NICU experience. That may be exactly what you don't need on Mothers' Day (and I assume you won't watch it). But it might be exactly what you do need, either to better understand the complicated feelings of someone in your life, or to feel more seen and validated in your own sticky NICU feelings.
If you are watching this, THANK YOU. Over a year later, this video remains my most personal and I appreciate you taking the time to watch it. I hope you have exactly the kind of day you need today!
- Kristie (agtakesover@gmail.com and @ag_takesover on IG)

Пікірлер: 65

@AGTV4Life 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing this video. I actually had tears in my eyes since this experience was a roller coaster of emotions and many challenges. So sorry you both had to go through all this. Isn’t it interesting that we whipped up Mother’s Day videos - such an honor to know you! Yes, Ronald McDonald support is incredible as I experienced when my 4 year old niece was diagnosed with leukemia and at that time I was in my 20s and didn’t have much money for a hotel so I stayed at a Ronald McDonald house right near the hospital so I could be there in a jiffy to see her. As usual, you did a wonderful job with the pictures and EVERYTHING! I hope you are all enjoying this special day 🥰🤗

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you! For watching, for your own video today, and for singing the praises of the Ronald McDonald support :)

@tocasmiley360 3 ай бұрын

Wow. I was a NICU baby and… this really hits home. This is incredibly amazing

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It remains one of the doll projects I'm most proud of.

@nayomic3074 3 ай бұрын

Happy Mother’s Day!!! I was born at 24 weeks. So I showed my mom this video and it hit home… but in a good way

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Oh wow! 24 is SO early. Your mom went. through. it. Thank you for sharing this with her, and tell her I said Happy Mothers' Day!

@user-nv7dl1bt6b 3 ай бұрын

What a beautiful project! I had NICU twins during covid and it was also a total roller coaster. I’m so glad you shared this video ❤

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Oof. Twin newborns are their own extra challenge and so is being a NICU momma. I hope you were surrounded with exactly the kind of support you needed and that your children are doing well now. An emotional roller coaster indeed!

@susantarantino1143 2 ай бұрын

I remember watching this incredible video when I first came across your channel and was very emotionally affected by it. At that time, my only daughter was a new mom, & I felt so much compassion for you both. I think you are very brave to share so much of such a difficult experience and also feel using your abundance of creativity to do so is such a wonderful example of how art can help us heal. I am so glad you enjoy sharing your dolls and life with your subscribers.... you continue to enhance my enjoyment of my American Girl dolls. Thanks so much! I missed seeing this around Mother's Day, but really every day is Mother's Day when you have children of any age. Love to you & your family.

@agtakesover 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching AND for taking the time to write such a kind comment. It means a ton and I really *do* believe art can help us heal!

@clairewatkins1720 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing, this was a project full of love.❤ Happy Mothers Day! 😊

@sjann1026 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video! As a premie myself (my mom was 25 weeks along when I was born) I appreciate seeing this kind of birth story. It seems to me that a lot of people think of birth as nothing but joyous, but I know it was really stressful for my parents. I finally got to go home after 4 1/2 months.

@agtakesover 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching, but also for taking the time to share a bit of your own story. I hope that one of the positives to come from our own experience is that I am more mindful of the range of birth experiences ppl might have had and less likely to make assumptions than I was before. (I like to think I was sensitive to the fact that feelings surrounding birth are complicated, but I know this helped me "get it" on a more visceral level). 4 1/2 months is an excruciatingly long time to have your baby at the hospital and I'm sorry your parents had to go through that.

@melangellperry5984 3 ай бұрын

Happy Mother’s Day to both you and Grace. Seeing this again is very emotional and wonderful because we know that you have a happy and healthy daughter. I was in the periphery of my sewing friends daughters early birth/NICU experience. He is doing extremely well and is in elementary school with no issues. Doctors and nurses can and do get burned out. Not only with long hours and little pay, but also with suffering. Sometimes their gruffness or standoffishness is just a coping mechanism to get them through. Imagine how many sad outcomes they have seen. Too much caring will quickly burn them out. I’m not excusing them and some medical staff just should not be doing their job, but do realize that some of it comes from seeing the bad outcomes.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Yeah, I know the burnout is real. Also, a friend of mine (a NICU nurse we've known since before our little one was born) has confirmed that trauma-informed care just isn't commonplace (yet) in the NICU. The prevalent attitude is sometimes, "We see babies DIE in here. Yours is going to live, and probably be perfectly fine. What do *you* have to grieve?" instead of tapping into compassion with EACH patient's family. Our friend Ashley (the parent liaison) was a saving grace while we were there.

@sarahb9240 3 ай бұрын

Hi Kristy and Grace, Happy Mother’s Day! This was amazing. I was so crying along through your journey. I had a NICU baby, he is 5 now. Z was born prematurely and had low oxygen. After my unscheduled C-section, he was whisked away and I didn’t even get to see him. I can’t remember how long I had to wait and see him, but is was quite scary, and I was worried he wouldn’t latch on because we were separated for so long. I did pump for him, so he got the colostrum. In my experience, the NICU was a very large room with many babies. And it’s tough to see all those precious lives hooked up to wires and machines beeping. Z was only in the NICU for a little over 24 hours, which is such a blessing. But such a scary experience, because you don’t know what’s going to happen. I really dislike being in hospitals. Some nurses are nice and friendly and put you at ease, and others need to retire. I had a very nice nurse, at first, that put me at ease while I was there, waiting to see Z in recovery,and then she went home and I got a gruff nurse who was not kind. I understand that being a nurse is such a tough job, and you have to spend many hours on your feet, but you need to be kind to your patients. When my mom was in the hospital, just diagnosed with cancer, it was a roller coaster ride of emotions. They kept her in the hospital for a while, and the doctors would discuss her treatment options with my sister and I. I was in my 20s, a year after I graduated college, and I was not ready for this kind of the thing at all. One nurse kept telling me to just let her die, which is the opposite of of what the doctors would say. My sister is older, and the nurse never approached her. The nurse would constantly approach me with this. I was a wreck. I feel this was not her place to do that. Nurses can really make a challenging hospital stay more difficult. Only my faith got me though these experiences; I would have lost my mind completely without it. I am happy your little one made it home, after such a long time in the NICU. What a power story. Enjoy this special day. 👶🏻💜

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to share your own stories. What you experienced in the hospital with your mom sounds absolutely imaginable. I'm so sorry. I hope that trauma-informed care will become more commonplace in U.S. healthcare within my lifetime.

@carriethreads 3 ай бұрын

What a wonderful gift. Thank you for sharing this video. All the love to you and your family as you continue to grow and heal.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

You are so kind. Mostly the grief and pain is behind us. Like any grief, every once in a while something triggers it. But it feels so good to be at a place where her toys being left everywhere is the bigger deal :)

@bellaboo8952 3 ай бұрын

Wonderful video! Thank you for sharing with us!

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

You're so welcome. Thank you for watching :-)

@AGLegofan 3 ай бұрын

Happy Mother's Day to both of you!

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

You are so kind - thank you!

@SuperButterfly217 3 ай бұрын

I love this! I was born at 28 weeks. Thank you for sharing. Happy Mother's Day!❤

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. If your mother is still in your life, feel free to tell her Happy Mothers' Day from us!

@SuperButterfly217 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesover Will do. Thank you.

@bethbacarella 3 ай бұрын

Kristie, I love all of this. Thank you for sharing this again for Mother's Day!

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

@charlotteamaro7165 3 ай бұрын

❤

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@StylasStudioDolls 3 ай бұрын

This is so touching. What an amazing labor of love! I love your creativity and attention to detail and the emotion is palpable. Such a heartfelt gift. Your daughter will cherish it one day too.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

That means a lot. Thank you for taking the time to watch!

@fatimaazam6108 3 ай бұрын

WOWWEE‼️ Thankyou Kristie & Grace❤.This was a real work of Genius 😮. I'm so Happy everything worked out in the end,I can't even begin to imagine😢.Kudos to Grace for going through such a Hard experience & to you Kristie 4 standing by Grace's side💗. What a Wonderful video of both your experiences & your Bby is definitely a Miracle 👐❤.Thankyou 4 making this video & using AG Doll's Brilliant 😊. Respectfully, 💗 Lisa

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you - our little one is doing great now, but the aftermath lasted a WHILE (with Help Me Grow services for our daughter and a lot of emotional baggage for us). We are so grateful for the 4 year old she has become!

@fatimaazam6108 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesoverIndeed Kristie, I'm so Happy 4 u guy's ❤. I heard her cute voice in 1 of ur video's & she sounds just like u Kristie 😊.Soooòo cunning,thank u 4 the kind word's. Enjoy now bcuz they grow up so Fast 😢. Warmly 💗 Lisa

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Yep, they do grow up quickly. But with any luck, they remain close to us in all the ways that matter :)

@fatimaazam6108 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesoverh👋 Kristie, I hear ya,God willing ❤

@schminckiette 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We all go through hard things and it's validating to hear other people be real and vulnerable. Your pictures and all of the props are amazing! I also like the mini-me dolls! 😊 Doing a book was such a good way to tell your story and hopefully it was cathartic for you!

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

It *was* very cathartic. And now I have something that I think really captures the emotional roller coaster of that time in our lives without the need to declare one emotion "prevailing" or "better" or "more important". Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

@naugrimmellon 3 ай бұрын

This is so creative, I hope you'll make and share more photo books in the future!

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

It's been a couple years since I did one. I think I'd want some sort of theme. Any thoughts?

@luvlyleo2836 3 ай бұрын

amazing project! you did sch a great job telling and showing you guys story🥰

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I love the book and I'm happy I reposted it and some new ppl got to watch it

@agdollrebecca4189 3 ай бұрын

Happy Mother's Day to you both! You're amazing moms. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful video! I loved watching it. It's so special! ❤

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching! Happy Mother's Day to you, too, if the well wishes apply!

@agdollrebecca4189 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesover Thank you so much!

@fatimaazam6108 3 ай бұрын

Happy Mother's Day 🎂👶 💐 to you both‼️❤ Warmly, 💗 Lisa

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

@fatimaazam6108 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesover Your so Welcome Kristie. Warmly, 💗 Lisa

@laurainthesky3765 3 ай бұрын

❤❤❤

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

@therobotdevil2284 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing this ❤❤❤ and happy mother's day to both of you.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thanks so much!!

@DisBlaine 3 ай бұрын

Awww this was really sweet! What a nice experience to invite us into. I love that Grace cried when you gave it to her. What a way to measure how much she loved it! Are you left handed? I noticed your mini me doll is.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!! Also, how did I NEVER notice I made my mini-me a lefty when I am right-handed??? Grace (who *is* left-handed) had never noticed it either lol. Good eye! (also, why did I do that lol)

@DisBlaine 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesover oh nooo lol, I hope that doesn’t drive you crazy! I’m surprised Grace didn’t notice because usually we (south paws) notice when someone is left handed. I was looking at any text on screen to see if the video was mirror image, because Grace was left handed too. So you got her right 😆 I have a disproportionate amount of left handed dolls because I am myself.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

I shared this with Grace tonight and we were both tickled that neither of us noticed. Anika (older daughter) and I are both right-handed. Grace and our younger one are both lefties. Since Anika lives on her own, I am technically the minority in the household, which is a rarity for a right-handed person lol. And no, it won't drive me crazy at all. It's just odd that I didn't notice.

@sillymonkey5533 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing with everyone such a personal story. How is your daughter doing now? You did such a good job with the doll scenes.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

You are so welcome! Our daughter is doing GREAT now. She needed Help Me Grow services for some help with eating but even that is in the rearview mirror now. Thank you so much for asking.

@sillymonkey5533 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesover That's great to hear. I'm glad there are no lasting effects from being so early.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

Yes! I think that's part of why some of the NICU nurses were less-than-ideally-compassionate. A bit of, "We see babies DIE in here. Your daughter is alive. And she's probably going to have no lasting health concerns due to prematurity. You should be grateful, not grieving." When you compare it to the worst possible outcome, that mentality makes sense. But parents envision (and deserve) a much gentler, less scary beginning and if the staff working with them can approach parents from that perspective I think it would go a long way toward making the NICU experience less difficult.

@sillymonkey5533 3 ай бұрын

@@agtakesover I've encountered some less than ideal nurses in my time. Fortunately, I've also encountered some exceptional nurses. Nurses and doctors--especially in NICU--should have extensive training in compassion. Better yet, if they NEED training, maybe they aren't right for the job.

@agtakesover 3 ай бұрын

I think it's fair to need the training - even with a compassionate disposition, some training would help prompt nurses to consider perspectives and factors they hadn't before (the book Caring for Patients from Different Cultures comes to mind. I definitely recommend it). I think ppl need training AND a work environment that's supportive that nurses don't succumb to compassion fatigue :)

@susanstater4695 2 ай бұрын

Incredible. How do you print out doll photos?

@agtakesover 2 ай бұрын

I used Shutterfly. My wife makes one book every year featuring pics of our daughter and fam and she ALWAYS makes a point to wait until they run a promo offering unlimited extra pages at no additional charge.