Child's Birth Year
2023

State/Province/Territory
Tennessee

NICU Hospital for my journey
UT Knoxville Medical Center

My NICU Graduate's Journey
My whole pregnancy with Maren was a rollercoaster of unknowns due to IUGR and elevated blood pressure from 20 weeks gestation until she arrived.
We miraculously made it to 35 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. Maren was born and immediately taken to the NICU due to her size. She required the cpap at the beginning but transitioned to breathing on her own pretty quickly. Her biggest obstacle in the NICU was regulating her extremely low blood sugar. After requiring IVs to help regulate her blood sugar and feedings, she was able to wean off a little less than a month in the NICU and transitioned to feeding on her own and maintaining her blood sugar within a few days. After that, she was able to head home.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
I’m so proud of my NICU miracle because she continues to prove what a little warrior she is by meeting developmental milestones and overcoming unknown medical obstacles throughout her short two years of life. We just love her spunky little self and can’t imagine our family without her.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
3 lbs 4 ounces

Weeks Gestation
35 weeks

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