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 boy, Henry (I
call him Hanky!), was born weighing 5 pounds, 11 1/2 ounces. He was a 34-weeker
who was very comfortable in the womb and was only forced to come out due to me
developing pre-eclampsia/HELLP.
He came into the world
screaming, and my only complaint about his delivery is that I didn't get to
snuggle him right away because he had to be taken to the NICU, and I couldn't
see him for 24 hours afterward because of medication I was on. Longest and
hardest 24 hours of my life!
Henry was whisked away to
the NICU immediately following birth. In all, he spent 3 weeks in the NICU. He
had Respiratory Distress Syndrome, so he was on CPAP and oxygen for a good
portion of that time. He had a feeding tube for longer than expected because he
didn't tolerate bottle feeding well in the beginning. He was jaundiced, so he
had to be under the lights for a few days. He had to have a UVC placed to get
nutrients in. And one day, it all just clicked for him. The nurses told us that
preemies have their "light bulb moments" and it's what we held onto
when frustrations set in at what seemed to be Henry's lack of progress.
We were originally told he
would probably have to spend approximately 2 weeks in the NICU, so when those 2
weeks were up and it didn't look like he was going home, it was very
disconcerting. He had a spontaneous spell, and that was an automatic 5 more
days added onto his stay. But, then he started having his light bulb moments
that his nurses told us would come. One day he couldn't finish a bottle to save
his life. The next, he sucked them all down in record time and never looked
back. It was amazing.
I was discharged from the
hospital 5 days after delivery, so my husband and I made trips back and forth
from home to the NICU 2-3 times a day for a couple of hours at a time. I was on
a strict pumping schedule, and had to get my kangaroo care time in. I put 1400
miles on my car in those 3 weeks! It was exhausting, and everything was planned
around NICU visits. And every time we left was hard, because we had to leave
Henry behind every time.
The NICU is a scary place
with bells and alarms going off everywhere. We learned what they meant very
quickly and knew when other babies were experiencing various difficulties. But
it was also so incredible to get there and discover something that showed Henry
was progressing. You celebrate the smallest things. I'd never been so excited
to hear someone tolerated 2 mL of food until Henry did it without complication.
You know how little 2 mL is? And yet, to our little guy, it was everything that
day.
Henry came home after
several attempts (and fails) at the car seat test. Again, it was so frustrating
to know he was doing so well and was ready to come home, and he couldn't sit in
his car seat for 90 minutes without desating, even though we only lived 20 minutes
away. But again, we just had to wait for his light bulb moment. All in all, he
was born on 9/12 and we brought him home exactly 3 weeks later, on 10/3.”
A Note From Beth:
“One of the sweetest
families ever and Henry is absolutely a handsome little guy! He seriously has the longest eyelashes I've
seen on a baby!
Henry was born at only 34
weeks. He spent 3 weeks in the NICU for
Respiratory Distress Syndrome and was on CPAP and oxygen. He also had a feeding tube and was
jaundice. He finally broke out of the
NICU on 10/3.
I can tell you that he is
their pride and joy. The love this
little family has is amazing.”
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 Dublin OH.
We're thankful to the family for sharing their story & memories in support of other NICU families.
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