This Smiley Baby's Helmet Slogan Is So Much More Than a Political Statement

Lori's daughter may only be 8 months old, but she's already overcome more healthcare issues than some face in their entire life. In a heartfelt post to the private Pantsuit Nation Facebook group, Lori dedicated a beautiful, smiley photo of her daughter wearing a helmet that reads, "Nevertheless she persisted" to all of the NICU parents out there.

"For the NICU parents: this year was the most difficult year in my life with one major silver lining pictured below," she wrote. "My little girl was born with some health issues that resulted in some pretty intense interventions that ended up saving her. We were told by the doctors some pretty scary news . . . we were given an explanation of what to expect, but nevertheless, despite the roller coaster, she persisted."

Her daughter's health issues began before she was even born. At halfway through her pregnancy, Lori was told that her baby had a blood incompatibility, which meant there was a risk of her daughter "being delivered as an extreme preemie if interventions weren't done."

"The interventions consisted of what is known as an intrauterine transfusion," Lori told POPSUGAR Moms. The difficult procedure involves providing red blood cells to the fetus to prevent and treat anemia in utero. "She needed two of those to be kept in my belly as long as possible. They wanted to keep her in there because while she was in my body I would do most of the work, but once she was born, she would be responsible for filtering out a compound called bilirubin herself."

Despite all the poking and prodding Lori and her daughter endured, the little lady was born a month-and-a-half early with her liver not functioning properly. "They needed to intervene with a procedure called an exchange transfusion, which means that the doctor had to pull all the blood with antibodies out of her body and replace it with donor blood," Lori said. "Within a few hours of the first procedure, they tested her and again she needed the exchange . . . and again . . . and again . . . and again."

After all of her procedures, Lori's daughter had to spend a chunk of time in the NICU. "It was heart-wrenching because here you have your new baby and you can see her for about five seconds before they whisk her away to the NICU," Lori said. "Then you can't hold her . . . not for a day, two days, two weeks; you can only put your hand through an incubator. To see her hooked up to all these tubes, to know that each transfusion brings with it high risks, to see her strapped down . . . you feel helpless and have to trust that this team of professionals is going to look after her."

After so much time spent hanging in the balance, Lori was finally given the great news that she could take her daughter home. However, Lori was told she'd need to wear a helmet to treat her plagiocephaly.

When asked about the words on her little one's helmet — which were inspired by the feminist battle cry resulting from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell silencing Senator Elizabeth Warren in the middle of a speech criticizing attorney Jeff Sessions — Lori said that the words were chosen for a reason beyond politics and that all of the attention it's getting has been positive so far.

Lori's little lady with the seriously infectious smile has certainly persisted, but she still faces some issues. "She is still receiving therapies and her head is taking shape," Lori said as she joked that she's gone gray. "We're just enjoying this little miracle who made us proud of her before she was even born."

Lori's friend has set up a GoFundMe account for "Nevertheless Baby" and her family's medical expenses.