Chase'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's name is Chase Timothy. He was born at 27 weeks 2 days. He weighed 2lbs. 1 oz. and lost down to 1 lb. 14 oz. Chase had been named as soon as we knew he was going to be a boy. While I was having issues in the hospital, they had a hard time finding him on the monitor sometimes so they loved the fact that his name was Chase and they were having to chase him in the womb. On the day he was born, a lot of fear set in because we had never been through anything like it before. Chase was immediately put on the ventilator, but was taken off of it later that night which was awesome. However, he had to go back on it for a few days to allow him to rest. Chase has always been a fighter and it has paid off in the long run.

We lived almost an hour away from the hospital where my son was born. It was very difficult being that far away once I was discharged from the hospital, especially when they called with bad news. We would visit every other day and each weekend while staying at the Ronald McDonald House. It made it easier sometimes because we had such good nurses that had signed up to work with our sweet boy and they would update me with texts and pictures. We are still to this day very close with each of them. We also made friends with some parents going through the same thing we were going through in the NICU. It was hard watching them leave with their loved one while ours was still in there. However, we also saw several not make it while we were lucky enough to still have our sweet boy with us. Prayer and loving support from our family and friends was the very key to our sanity and maintaining the ability to continue on each day. Chase was in the hospital for 3 1/2 months. He had a hard time eating. He took what they called an aversion to eating so we had to pretty much start all over. It took me moving into the hospital for four days to feed him at each feeding to get him to come home."

A Note From Katie:

Chase is a recent graduate of the University of TN Medical Center's Level 3 NICU. I had the honor and pleasure of photographing this little cutie at the UT Gardens along with 2 of his very special nurses. He smiled the entire time and loved the piggy sounds I made. I cannot wait to capture his infectious smile as he grows!

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 Knoxville, TN.

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