Child's Birth Year
2016

State/Province/Territory
Illinois

NICU Hospital for my journey
Hinsdale Adventist Hospital

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Alexander was born at 25 weeks 5 days after a week of my being in the hospital on bed rest trying to prevent his early birth with doctors preparing us for the worst. All options had been exhausted and I was taken for an emergency c-section. The next thing I remember is being wheeled in on the hospital bed to see this tiny 1lb baby in a bag in a hospital box and being told I could reach in to touch his hand. Well that little baby grabbed on tight as if to say "I'm fine mom but stay with me." Well 3 months later of 16+ hours a day visits and skin-to-skin snuggles and he was finally cleared to come home with nothing but some extra vitamins to put in his milk. A true miracle: no oxygen, no brain bleed, no heart defects, just home. Now almost 9 years later that tiny baby is loving school, art, the library, science, and life. He continues to amaze us everyday with his kind and caring soul and his love of all things school related and learning as well as being the best big brother to 1, soon to be 2, sisters.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
His enormous heart for being kind and helpful to his friends, peers, teachers, and family. His intelligence and love of learning, constantly scoring in the top percentile at school in his standardized testing. His curious nature and ambition, always delving into science and coding.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
1 lb 13 oz

Weeks Gestation
25 Weeks 5 Days

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