Thursday, January 26, 2017

NICU Grad Session: Nicholas

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 NICHOLAS'S FAMILY 

I had to be induced because of high blood pressure. I was extremely nervous of all the different possible outcomes, due to his prematurity, that could've taken place the day Nicholas was born. We were very blessed that he did so well. He had to be delivered via Csection because of failure to progress. He was never on any oxygen after he was born. He was in the NICU for 2 nights to rule out infection because I developed a fever during labor. When his blood culture came back negative, he was moved to my postpartum room with me. He is doing wonderful and only had some issues with feeding related to his prematurity. It was a quick stay that went beautifully. He actually did better than I did! Preemies are strong little ones!

 








 



Nicholas's photo session was taken and donated by Preemie Prints volunteer photographer, Brian C. Parks.

A Note From Brian: 

The clouds parted and gave us a whopping five minutes of shooting time out on the grass before it started to pour on us. Thankfully, Nicholas was a little trooper and seemed much more concerned with eating the mane on the rocking horse than with the weather. When the cake first came out, Nicholas was a bit hesitant, but with a little help from mom it didn’t take him long to transform into a smash cake monster!


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 500 NICU family sessions. 

This was a Preemie Prints NICU graduate photography session that took place near Bryan/College Station. 

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

NICU Grad Session: Teagan

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 TEAGAN'S FAMILY 

Teagan is the 4th NICU journey our family has faced. Thus far she may also be the easiest. After taking Makena injections weekly for 4 months we made it to our goal of 36 weeks. After arriving to our goal Teagan was delivered by c-section she came out with the sweetest and strongest cry all in one. Shortly after her breathing declined. Teagan is currently on CPAP and getting the support she needs. We have hopes of a short NICU stay but know that the journey of the NICU never goes as expected but rather by Gods design.

 








Teagan's photo session was taken and donated by Preemie Prints volunteer photographer, Brian C. Parks.

A Note From Brian: 

Teagan did such a great job and was such a doll! Despite the rainy weather, we managed to stay (mostly) dry under a gazebo. She was a little hesitant at first with her cake, but mom was able to show her why it’s called a smash cake. I think she slowly worked her way through most of the cake by the end of the shoot!


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 500 NICU family sessions. 

This was a Preemie Prints NICU graduate photography session that took place near Bryan/College Station.

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

Monday, January 16, 2017

Sweet Jeremiah'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
“Jeremiah was born at 29 weeks weighing in at 1lb 14oz. Severe preeclampsia threatened to take both mommy and baby, and there were lots of fearful moments both the night/morning he was born and in the following days. The magnitude of what was happening seemed almost impossible to grasp- we were living normal days, then suddenly giving birth to our son and, as we later learned, coming hours away from likely death. We didn't even own any diapers yet. The doctors and nurses moved quickly, and suddenly he was here- red, impossibly frail, and very much ours. The wash of simultaneous joy and fear cannot be described without having felt it yourself. We diligently went to touch times to peek in at our little boy fighting for his life. Both mother and son displayed tremendous courage to not only survive, but to stay positive. After a week Rose and I went home and we experienced the next phase of the journey- being apart from your baby every day. We made every effort to drive to the hospital every chance we could to see our son, oftentimes sacrificing sleep or social lives to do so. Nothing mattered nearly as much as sitting beside his incubator (and later his crib) just being next to him. It put a strain on work, on our relationship, and on us physically, but when you're a parent of a preemie, you have to take what you can get. As the weeks went by, we watched him face new challenges- sustaining oxygen levels, keeping feeds down, eating from a bottle, tolerating bath time, gaining weight, and eventually breathing on his own. We finally came to the week we thought he was coming home, but we received news that he was in need of surgery for an unknown, and potentially life-threatening condition. It weighed all the more as we watched the family across the room take their baby home happy and healthy. But as he has done countless times already, our little man proved his strength and endured the surgery. He recovered well, and while he had to come home with an oxygen tank and breathing tube, we were just happy to take him home. No one can prepare you for having a preemie. We found strength in our faith in God and in the community of families who had endured similar hardships. The nurses and doctors at the NICU were quite literally lifesavers, and we are so grateful to everyone who was involved in our son coming home. We pray for you all every day- the nurses, doctors, babies, and families.

To the families who have babies in the NICU we say: while many of your friends and family can't fully understand what it's like, know that you're never alone in this. Never lose hope, keep going with all that you've got, and give thanks for every moment you have.”




Jeremiah’s photo session was taken and donated by Preemie Prints volunteer photographer, Jennifer Franciose.

A Note From Jennifer:
They were a really sweet family to work with. I enjoyed their session. Their little guy was happy and I could tell he is so loved.

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.

Friday, January 13, 2017

In The NICU: Finn

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.






Finn's photo session was taken and donated by Preemie Prints volunteer photographer, Jennifer Sternal-Johnson.

A Note From Jen:
Sweet Finn was born full-term, but spent two weeks in the NICU. His mama has a blood disorder which meant Finn was born with very few platelets. He stayed in the NICU for related treatments. I visited him on his third day of life and was amazed at this peaceful, alert baby. I have kept in touch with the family and found out that Finn's platelet count has finally stabilized at home!






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 500 NICU family sessions.
This was a Preemie Prints NICU photography session that took place near Rochester NY.

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

NICU Grad Session: Angelo

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 ANGELO'S FAMILY
"My baby was born by emergency C-section at 27 weeks, 4 days. He has had NEC twice and was very ill. He got strictures in his intestines and had feeding intolerances and had to have bowel surgery to correct the issues."





Angelo's photo session was taken and donated by Preemie Prints volunteer photographer, Jennifer Sternal-Johnson.



A Note From Jen:
Sweet Angelo! He came home shortly before Christmas, and I had the pleasure of meeting him on his original due date. He's a tough little fighter but seemed to enjoy his nap in front of the tree.






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 500 NICU family sessions.
This was a Preemie Prints NICU graduate photography session that took place near Rochester NY.

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