Child's Birth Year
2023

State/Province/Territory
Florida

NICU Hospital for my journey
Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital

My NICU Graduate's Journey
My twins were born at 27 weeks and 3 days due to prematurely dilating and my cerclage only holding 5 weeks. Jordan was born first and Kinsley followed 15 minutes later. They were both placed on cpap and taken right to the nicu. At first there was no big concerns other than they just needed to grow big and strong. Kinsley was quickly surpassing Jordan and her only set back was needing more time on the ram canula. She was ready to go home, she went home a month before her due date. Jordan on the other hand had a rougher nicu stay and required more attention from nicu nurses and doctors. Jordan got a uti and was placed on the niv nava for extra breathing support, we then got him back on track and he was going well on cpap. He then got what we think was nec (necrotizing enterocolitis) but bacteria samples never confirmed it. These were the hardest two weeks because he was placed on a ventilator due to his belly getting so big and the pressure on his lungs his little body just couldn’t handle it. Thankfully by the grace of god our little man pulled through and it was only up from there or so we thought. He then got his two month vaccines and his little body couldn’t take it and he ended up back on the niv nava. After recovering from that we were finally back on track and just growing day by day. He was on the nasal cannula for extra breathing support and was sent home on low flow oxygen. 5 months later and we have weaned him fully off during the day. These nicu babies are definitely fighters and are so much stronger than you think.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
What makes me so proud of my NICU graduates is how even through every trial and tribulation they have endured in their short 16 months of life they continue to prove to everyone just how strong they truly are. Being able to fit in my palm when they were first born there is a lot of uncertainty but they are true fighters and have overcome every obstacle and proved doctors wrong. We are truly blessed to have such strong babies.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
2lb 10oz & 2lb 6oz

Weeks Gestation
27 weeks 3 days

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Number of Days, Months, or Years)
66 days & 88 days