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 little miracle is named Micah William, born March 5, 2014 at
33 weeks. Micah was 7 weeks premature and weighed a whopping 6 lbs. 15oz. and
19 inches long. About a pound of that weight was fluid. You see, Micah had Hydrops and his birth was an unplanned
induced labor and delivery in an attempt to save his life. At 31 weeks Micah
was diagnosed with Fetal Hydrops, a
diagnosis that comes with unknown causes and a 60 to 90% mortality rate. Our
outlook was scary and bleak to say the least. Micah was supposed to be
delivered the day before by C-section, because he was breech. A sign they said
that he had chromosomal issues, though early screening was normal. As we were
getting in the wheelchair to go to the O.R., I felt him flip and we decided to
deliver naturally. I labored through the night and he arrived at 4:30 in the
morning.
Our NICU journey began even before Micah arrived. I was admitted
into the hospital right from our O.B. appointment. We had been followed by the
high-risk doctor for about two weeks. Once admitted we met with neonatologists
to discuss what would happen when the baby arrived. We had extensive
discussions about whether I was sure I wanted to deliver and what it could mean
for the baby if he had trisomy 18 or 21 and was delivered early. Never did I
know at that point just how close I would become with these doctors and the
NICU staff! When Micah arrived my room was flooded with NICU staff. I couldn't
see or tell what was going on. Within minutes he was whisked away to the NICU
that would become home and family for the next 61 days.
Micah was fortunate enough that there was an underlying cause for
his
Hydrops. This is not the case for most babies with this condition.
After many tests and x-rays and ultrasounds they knew he had an intestinal
perforation. The cause and extent of it was unknown without exploratory
surgery. At 2 days old and 7 weeks premature Micah went into surgery. He had an
extremely hard time coming out of surgery and had multiple blood transfusions
in the days following. Micah had meconium
peritonitis, intestinal atresia,
and a volvulus (piece of his
intestine died in utero and twisted up). His surgeon was able to repair it with
no long-term problems or so we thought. Within 4 weeks scar tissue had formed
and we were back to the O.R. for another intestinal surgery. After 2 months 2
surgeries and extensive testing, chromosomal and otherwise Micah was given a
clean bill of health. We finally graduated!
Unfortunately for us, graduating the NICU wasn't the end of
Micah's hospital stays. Micah had 4 more hospital admits and 3 more surgeries
after graduation, scar tissue formed again. Since his last surgery in July he
has thrived! As his First Birthday is upon us, I sit here and think how truly
blessed I am to have been given this gift from God and how grateful I am to all
of our NICU family!”
A Note From Aileen:
“I was able to do a photo shoot with Micah and his family on
Sunday. They were a delightful
family. Mom, dad, twin daughters and of
course, baby Micah. I took photos in my
studio and then went to a park about a mile from my house. I was able to build a rapport with Jillian and
the rest of the family. Their twin
girls, who are 11 years old were a delight and very respectful. I really enjoyed how you can tell the family
is a tight unit and all love each other and care for each other. The girls adore their little brother! Micah is adorable! He wasn't too cooperative with the poses mom
wanted. I did my best to get the
pictures she wanted. It was a pleasure
to meet Jillian and her beautiful family”
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 Webster, MA.
We're thankful to the family for sharing their story & memories in support of other NICU families.
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