Malakai

Child's Birth Year
2025

State/Province/Territory
Texas

NICU Hospital for my journey
St David’s South Austin, St David’s Medical Center

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Our sweet boy came into the world about two months early and spent his first 52 days in the NICU. He was born at the South Austin St Davids, but due to complications, he was transferred to a higher-level NICU where he could get the care he needed. Most of his journey was spent learning how to eat by bottle and overcome feeding difficulties that come with being so premature.

Those two months felt endless. Leaving the hospital without our baby every night was heartbreaking, and watching him stay in the NICU even past his due date was something we never imagined. There were a lot of hard moments, a lot of tears, and a lot of fear mixed with hope. Along the way, we also learned he has mosaic trisomy 9, which added even more uncertainty to an already difficult journey.

But through everything, he kept fighting.

Now he’s 9 months old and thriving in ways that once felt so far away. Looking back at those NICU days still feels surreal, but they showed us just how strong and determined our little boy truly is. He may have started life tiny and fragile, but he’s grown into the happiest little miracle, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.

What makes you proud of your NICU graduate?
What makes me most proud of my NICU baby is his determination. We’ve constantly been told by doctors and healthcare professionals that Malakai may never be able to do certain things, but time after time, he proves everyone wrong and shows us just how capable he truly is.

One moment that will always stay with me was during our NICU stay. We were told by a speech therapist that Malakai would likely never be able to feed by bottle. Less than a week later, he was taking almost 100% of his bottles by mouth and finally got to come home.

From the very beginning, Malakai has shown incredible strength, resilience, and the will to keep pushing forward no matter the challenges in front of him. Watching him overcome obstacle after obstacle has made us prouder than words can describe.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
3 lb 15 oz

Weeks Gestation
34 weeks

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