Charming Ryan's NICU Grad Photo Shoot

Please enjoy Preemie Prints' families inspirational story & photos. Consider supporting our mission to share hope with families who have a baby born prematurely or critically ill. We thank our supporters, Preemie Prints volunteers, and donors for allowing us to continue touching the lives of NICU, preemie, and angel families.

We pray these special memories from Preemie Prints 

will help families heal and remember how strong 

they were in overcoming their NICU journey together.

A NICU STORY | THOUGHTS FROM MOM

"My son Ryan was born at 28 weeks and 1 day, weighing 2 pounds 11 ounces. He was born after I spent 2 months on bed rest, including almost 3 weeks of hospital bed rest. I hemorrhaged and they couldn't stop the bleeding, so they delivered him. Because of my condition, the C-section was done under general anesthesia, so my husband didn't get to be there and I didn't get to meet him until the next day

He was born with a cleft lip and palate, so he ended up being on a ventilator for several weeks because neither CPAP or a cannula would work with his anatomy. He survived an intestine perforation and emergency surgery from NEC and was sent home with an ostomy bag and an NG tube. He charmed the NICU staff with his spunk and determination, extubating himself, constantly removing his nasal cannula, removing the clips during his eye exam and rolling over to prevent nurses from messing with his stomach. I was nervous about him coming home with an ostomy bag and NG tube but he grew and thrived and his doctors keep saying “He doesn't know he's not supposed to do that yet”. The NICU journey is stressful and frightening, but preemies are little miracles and are so much stronger than you know!"

Volunteer Photographer - Luciana Deodato, Luciana Galucci Photography

A Note From Luciana:
"This was my first photo shoot session for preemieprints.org and I enjoyed every single minute. Ryan is an incredible baby, he is sweet, happy and an energetic baby! I've walked away feeling energized and grateful. In turn, I hope to have contributed, at least a little, in the family's healing. it's such a worth-while experience for me. Meeting baby Ryan and her mom was no exception."

Photos belong to our volunteer photographers, families, 

and organization please do not use for any purpose. 

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Preemie Prints is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization sharing hope with NICU families through a variety of support programs. One of those programs is the gift of NICU photography and preemie photography. NICU families from across the US can request a no-charge photography session by a Preemie Prints volunteer. The family request from can be found on the right side of our website. These sessions are free of charge and for any NICU family, regardless of time spent in the NICU. The NICU photo shoot can take place inside the NICU or after baby is discharged and at home until their 1st birthday. Facing time in a NICU with a premature or critically ill baby is an extremely difficult time for families. Preemie Prints has a mission to share hope by letting families know they are not alone. Preemie Prints currently has over 100 volunteers nationwide. We are always looking for more volunteers to share in our mission! If you are interested, please email sherri@preemieprints.org and visit our website at www.preemieprints.org. To date Preemie Prints and our volunteers have gifted over 400 NICU family sessions. 

This was a Preemie Prints NICU graduate photography session that took place near Foster City, CA.

We're thankful to the family for sharing their story & memories in support of other NICU families.