Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Sweet Aria's NICU 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
“Our baby girl, Aria Grace, was born two and a half months early on October 14th at 4:54 AM. Her actual due date was January 7th of 2015. She was 27 weeks and 6 days on the day she was born. She weighed in at a good 2lb 8oz and today she weighs in at 3 lb! The nurses and doctors were so amazed by her birth weight, and the fact that she was so strong when she was born!
 My husband and I have never known anything about preemies. No one ever prepares to have a preemie, because we always think our pregnancies will be perfect. My pregnancy WAS perfect. I had no illnesses or infections, and everything was going great up until the week before I got admitted. I knew in my gut something wasn't right but Aria is our first, so I wasn't quite sure what to go by. I was having signs of labor the week I got admitted, but I wasn't contracting. At 5:15 AM on October 9th, my water broke and I got flown to Phoenix, Banner Good Samaritan Hospital (I'm from Lake Havasu) where I was scared, not knowing anything about premature rupture of the membranes. When I got to Good Sam, every doctor and nurse was AMAZING. They reassured us that premature birth is very common (it is?!) and that they're exceptionally skilled at what they do. Banner Good Sam has been nothing but amazing to our baby and us. We've never felt more encouraged, loved, and cared for in our life. And they have such compassion for our baby girl that it warms our hearts and makes us feel at ease/comfortable. I knew from the get go that me, and Aria would be fine, because my hope and rest lies in Jesus Christ and Him alone! I knew that God's hand was upon me, and her the entire time...from the moment I got pregnant! I am so moved and encouraged by our experience that my heart totally goes out to other NICU families. Aria is doing wonderfully as she is currently 31 weeks and 2 days old! She's still on oxygen, but her brain, heart, and lungs look exceptional for her age, and I praise God for that! You are not alone. When my water broke we had no hope. We thought, 'Aria's coming and she won't make it....' but there's so much modern medicine and technology AND wisdom this day in age to help women who have preemies and who go into labor early. God can do ANYTHING and He's continually proven to us that He's got our little baby in His hands!”



A Note From Jennifer:

“Baby Aria was the most beautiful baby! It was a honor to do her preemie session! The family is wonderful and so kind. It was very apparent that the parents have gone through a lot with this process and have held up so strong. Baby Aria is truly a blessing, and I am so happy I was able to meet her!”




Photos belong to our volunteer photographers, families, 
and organization please do not use for any purpose. 
____________________________________________

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 Phoenix, AZ.

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


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