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The Founder Of the Penelope Project
This week I interviewed Bryana Miranda who is the Founder and President of the Penelope Project. If you haven’t read my previous two interviews, you should! Last week I interviewed a preeclampsia survivor from the UK and before that I interviewed a postpartum preeclampsia survivor. Be sure to subscribe to my email list to stay informed when I publish the next interview.
I met Bryana on Instagram through the Penelope Project account after she reached out to me and invited me to attend a NICU support group for preemie moms. I have loved attending this support group the past few months and connecting with other women all around the United States who are preemie moms.
The Penelope Project is a great organization that provides a community of support for preemie moms. Twice a month there is a support group over Zoom so preemie moms can meet and talk with moms who understand. It has helped me so much to be able to talk with other preemie moms because they GET IT. I have mom friends who are really wonderful, but they just don’t understand what it is like to have a baby born premature and spend time in the NICU. It is impossible to really understand unless you’ve been through it.
About Me
My name is Bryana Miranda, Founder, and President of the Penelope Project. I was born and raised in Long Island, NY before moving to VA to teach over a decade ago. I’m a single mom “Gilmore Girling-It” with my awesome kiddo!
Pregnancy
Tell me about your pregnancy.
I dealt with some PCOS side effects before surprisingly getting pregnant with P. I was considered high risk due to taking my anxiety medicine during my first trimester ( I didn’t know I was pregnant until 8 weeks in!). Besides having double OBGYN appointments, my pregnancy was seemingly uneventful!
When did you know something was wrong?
As a teacher, I am on my feet all day unless I am teaching my awesome kids in a small group, or finally at home. Those would be the only two times a day that I would really feel P move. So, as you can imagine, I didn’t feel that movement was the day I knew something was up. I left work and went to the OBGYN where they saw elevated protein in my urine sample and they immediately sent me to L and D.
Tell me about your hospital stay.
I had no idea what L and D even meant! I was 28 weeks pregnant, and they were really concerned about my protein levels. They had me do the 24-hour test in the hospital, which resulted in protein levels in the 2,000 range when it should be under 300. I was really confused because, besides a little swelling, I had NO OTHER SYMPTOMS of preeclampsia. I was in the hospital for two days before I had an emergency c-section.
What was it like the day your baby was born?
I asked the nurses to check on “baby” because I felt something wasn’t right. I’m so glad I listened to my gut because they called a Code Blue on me. I remember the NICU doctor coming to the bedside and handing me a pamphlet on the NICU. I had no idea how a baby born at 28 weeks was going to survive. Would I even survive? I knew nothing about premature birth or the NICU.
All I remember is that I started convulsing and a lot of people yelling at each other because no one was doing their job “fast enough” and “this baby needs to come out NOW!” It took them forever to tell me the baby was a girl, and then as quickly as she came, she has whisked away to the NICU along with my husband. I felt so alone that I asked the anesthesiologist to hold my hand! He did, and gave me more drugs! lol
How has your life changed since the preeclampsia diagnosis?
I think the scariest part is that I HAD NO IDEA WHAT PREECLAMPSIA WAS. When you have a seemingly healthy pregnancy, you are not really educated on symptoms, or what could go wrong. It wasn’t even until I started the Penelope Project that I knew that there are life-long health effects of preeclampsia. The lack of education around preeclampsia, or really ANY pregnancy risks, is what I strive to help parents understand so that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Did you struggle with any emotions of failure/upset that it happened to you?
This is the one thing that I did not struggle with as a preemie mom. Everyone around me kept instilling in me that I SAVED P by listening to my body and my mom’s gut, and I wholeheartedly believe it.
How long did you suffer from the effects of the premature birth?
I don’t believe this ever goes away. Parents go through PTSD from the NICU, and the current pandemic is very triggering. It is something I will always live and struggle with.
Tell me about your baby’s NICU stay.
Penelope was a micro-preemie weighing 1lb 15 oz at 28 weeks. She came out strong and was nicknamed “Pistol Penny” by the nurses because she was always giving them a run for their money! I felt completely gutted that I had to leave my baby there each night ( we did not have our own rooms).
The toughest part was my maternity leave situation. Being a teacher, I did not have a maternity leave that would allow extra time for P to be in the NICU. I went back to work two weeks after my c-section, to the great disappointment with my OBGYN. I would get to the NICU early to see P, go right back straight from work, and do it all again the next day. Following my amazing co-worker’s orders, my students would push me around in a rolling chair so I wouldn’t have to walk anywhere.
I felt like I had no control over being a mom to P, or a great teacher to my students–I couldn’t give either piece my full attention and love. I am so beyond grateful that P only had minor setbacks in the NICU and was able to come home after 53 days, in which I then took the rest of my maternity leave. All these experiences motivated me to start the Penelope Project.
How is your baby doing today?
I’m very lucky to report that besides some early intervention, and a brand-new pair of glasses, my two-and-a-half-year-old is kicking butt and taking names!
What advice would you give to current NICU Parents as the founder of the Penelope Project?
Whether you’ve spent 1 day or 100 days in the NICU, your journey matters. The Penelope Project Wants you to know your story matters.
What inspired you to start the Penelope Project?
I didn’t have a village before I started the Penelope Project! I didn’t know anyone who had a premature baby or who had a NICU stay so I felt completely alone and lost. Found some Inculpates here and there on social media, but I had no way of really connecting with anyone. I knew I needed to change that.
What is your goal with the Penelope Project?
To let families, know that they aren’t alone. Penelope Project’s mission is to provide support and resources for NICU families to help alleviate stress and financial burden. We will teach you to be a NICU expert, cover you when insurance doesn’t, and support you when you feel alone. We want everyone to know their search is over and that they’ve found their village.
I want NICU parents and preemie moms to know that they have someone to come to in their darkest or brightest hour. I want them to walk into their NICU for the first time and be handed a Parent Pack with everything they didn’t know they will need for this brand new journey.
What is in the Parent Pack from the Penelope Project?
A Parent Pack includes items that NICU parents don’t realize they will need. Due to the pandemic, we’ve cut down our packs to an essential NICU journal for parents to track everything needed during their baby’s stay.
The Penelope Project runs a support group that meets 2x a month. What inspired you to organize it? And tell me more about it.
There was no one in my life who understood the NICU or being a preemie mom. I wanted to create a village that I never had. In our group, we are able to give support and advice to parents who are going through what we went through. No one understands the joys and struggles of parenting preemies like a NICU parent!
If you could go back, what would you tell yourself?
Stay strong and let people HELP you when they offer!
Describe your journey with having a preemie in 3 words.
So worth it.
Thank you Penelope Project Founder Bryana
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If you are a preeclampsia survivor or HELLP syndrome survivor and would like to share your story, please contact me through email at courtney@knockonmotherhood.com. I would love to share your birth story and keep spreading awareness. I am trying to gather as many preeclampsia survivors’ birth stories as possible to spread awareness.
If you are a preemie mom, I would also love to share your story. Please contact me through email at courtney@knockonmotherhood.com.
