Child's Birth Year
2024

State/Province/Territory
Texas

NICU Hospital for my journey
HCA Clear Lake

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Christian was born at 33+1 and was under breathing distress at birth. He was admitted to NICU level 4 where he was put on a high frequency ventilator after a chest X-ray revealed a large pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema tracking up to his neck . He fought hard and graduated to CPAP after 6 long days and was breathing all on his own 5 days after that. He overcame many obstacles during his 31 day stay, each day marking a new goal off the list. Christian was often called Houdini and Mr. Bossy by his NICU nurses because they were often unable to keep him swaddled as he was very active and preferred to be “Free”. Lol He would pull on anything and everything within arms reach , this included taking out his NG tube almost on a daily basis and nearly giving mom and family multiple heart attacks as we watched him pull on his wires through the NICU cam when we could not be there. He is still very much Mr. Bossy at home and will make his presence known if he is not being acknowledged quickly. Baby boy is thriving and likely the happiest baby you'll ever meet.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
What makes me the proudest of my NICU graduate is how much he overcame those first 5 weeks of his life, how much he's grown so far and how smart he is for his age!

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
4lbs

Weeks Gestation
33 Weeks

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Number of Days, Months, or Years)
31 Days