Child's Birth Year
2019

State/Province/Territory
Tennessee

NICU Hospital for my journey
Monroe Carrell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Kingston was born 3 hours after finding out I was pregnant. He weighed 1 pound and a few ounces. When he was born he was not breathing. While in the NICU, Kingston stopped breathing several times, needed a blood transfusion and several test done over the course of 3 months. Despite that, he gained enough weight and learned to eat on his own and finally leave the NICU. Over time, he had a Gtube placed after several swallow test revealed that he was silently aspirating which led to him being admitted to the hospital under Emergency Pulmonology. From there, his ENT doctor discovered that he had a hole in his airway. So they performed two procedures at once. Despite the pain he was in, he remained a happy baby. Today, he is getting ready to graduate from Kindergarten and he's able to do math at a second grade level and he’s looking forward to meeting 1st grade.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
Kingston is kind and helpful and a great big brother to his little sister. His eagerness to learn and his level of curiosity makes him a lot more advanced than most kids his age. Kingston is a great son and very insightful. Kingston never meets a stranger. Kingston always tries despite how hard things are.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
1 lb and a few ounces

Weeks Gestation
26 Weeks

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