Child's Birth Year
2020

State/Province/Territory
Kentucky

NICU Hospital for my journey
Norton Children’s Hospital Louisville

My NICU Graduate's Journey
Lailah was born full term, but unfortunately I had a complicated labor. When Lailah was born, she seemed to be 100% healthy for her first 30 minutes to an hour of life before the nurse came back to the room to tell me that they had sent my baby to the NICU because she needed oxygen. She stayed in an incubator for 5 days before the doctors decided it would be best to transfer her to Norton Children's Hospital. Once we arrived there within 48 hrs the doctors told us that Lailah had panhypopituitarism. It was so scary learning about what life would look like for her. She went through tons of different tests and she had to get two surgeries (one being a g-tube insertion). I was terrified! I didn’t think I could take her home and care for her the way those nurses did, but they walked us through everything and made sure we were 100% capable of providing the care that Lailah needed. Lailah finally came home after being in the NICU for 2 months and she has been flourishing since!

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
I am so proud of our little fighter because she has always been so tough! All of the nurses and doctors called her a little fighter because she took every procedure they threw at her very well. She was my comfort while in the NICU, just seeing her laying there comfortably allowing the doctors to do what needed to be done. I felt good knowing that she was being well taken care of and, to this day, she is STILL a tough cookie! She is the boss of the house.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
6lbs 3 oz

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Day, Month, or Year)
58 Days