Exhausted mom who spent all day at NICU with her baby was buying coffee — barista's simple response at checkout moved her

The initial days after giving birth are important and exhausting for moms. Taking regular trips to the hospital and the NICU adds to the stress and fatigue. A mom named Jessica Johnson (@jessica.johnson) revealed in several videos on TikTok that she had been in and out of the hospital quite a bit when she was nearing her delivery. After she gave birth to her baby, the newborn was in the NICU for a while. The exhausted mom had been getting herself a cup of coffee when the barista struck up a conversation with her. She heard about Johnson’s day and had a moving response to give. 

According to OSF Healthcare, having babies in the NICU can be an overwhelming reality for parents. Dominique Dietz, OSF HealthCare Behavioral Health director, encourages parents not to beat themselves up about having to be responsible when their child is in the NICU. “Don’t feel like you need to do everything. You can only give so much of yourself before you need to recharge,” Dominique said. Nevertheless, a parent’s heart never stops worrying about their child, much less when it’s a newborn, still getting acquainted with the world and battling so much in the NICU. Johnson, too, had been making frequent visits to the hospital.

In one of her videos, she mentioned that her baby turned two months old and was still in the NICU. “two months of NICU, two months of doctors and nurses, two months of cords and monitors, two months of progress and setbacks, two months of driving back and forth nonstop, two months of waiting, two months of chaos, two months of you,” the mom wrote in her caption. One can only imagine what a strenuous task it must be to show up every day and give one’s best. The mom went to grab a coffee for herself at Dutch Bros while tackling another NICU day. It was around 8 pm when she approached the barista. As a service person would usually ask, the woman questioned Johnson about her day.

“I paused for a second, then said, ‘Do you want a real answer?’” the mom remarked. The barista was all the more intrigued and showed genuine interest in her conversation with Johnson. She had no idea what she was going through, who she was and how her day had been. However, when the customer asked if she was really invested, she assured her she was listening. “I told her my baby was in the NICU and I was at the hospital all day,” the mom explained. The duo then had a short conversation about the situation while her drink was getting ready. As soon as Johnson was about to hand over her card to pay for the drink, the barista remarked, “Don’t worry about it.”

The mom double-checked and only received assurance from the barista that she didn’t have to pay for the drink. Before Johnson could leave, the barista left her relieved yet surprised with a comforting remark. “She asked me my name and ended the conversation with, ‘I don’t know if this is your thing but I’ll be praying for you,’” the mom recalled. “I hope the world is kind to her,” Johnson wrote in her text overlay, seemingly touched by the encounter. “I will always appreciate her,” she wrote in her caption. Many people commended Dutch Bros’ employees for the thoughtful nature they personally experienced. @whimsywoods said, “I would feel so seen in that moment. What a sweet girl.” @latmlnsn added, “There are so many good people in this world and sometimes we find them right when we need them.” 

You can follow Jessica Johnson (@jessica.johnson) on TikTok for more content on motherhood and parenting.