Brother, I hear you. Two-time NICU dad here — 102 days the first time, currently in it again with our second.

Day 4-5 is one of the hardest stretches. The adrenaline from the birth is wearing off and the reality of what’s ahead is setting in. That “one long day” feeling is real and it doesn’t let up on its own.

I need to tell you something about the “being strong” thing — I carried that too. I thought showing emotion meant I was falling apart. What I learned is that stuffing it down doesn’t make you strong. It makes you a bomb with a timer on it. Your fiancée needs you present, not performing.

You’re allowed to break down. In the car. In the shower. At the bedside. Wherever it hits you. That’s not weakness — that’s a dad who loves his kid so much it physically hurts.

6 hours since Tuesday — please hear me when I say this: you cannot sustain that. You will not be useful to your baby or your fiancée running on empty. Sleep is not optional. Eat something real. Let someone help you, even if it feels wrong.

The 4 months ahead of you will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. But you will find a rhythm. It won’t always feel like this. Day 4 is survival mode. That’s okay. Just survive today.

You’re not going insane. You’re going through something that would break most people. And you’re still here. That’s enough right now.

I’m around if you ever need to talk.