Child's Birth Year
2020

State/Province/Territory
Florida

NICU Hospital for my journey
Tampa General Hospital

My NICU Graduate's Journey
83 day stay in the Tampa General Jennifer Leigh Muma NICU. He was in an incubator, tubes, wires, blankets, and a lot of beeping. He was alive and now this was the fight of our life. After 2 nights, I was discharged, and went home alone while our son stayed in the NICU. We had a camera on him so we could login and see him. I went everyday to the NICU to be with him. My husband stayed working and came to the NICU nights after work, so he could take time when Karter was able to come home. They say it takes a village – the NICU was our village. The nurses and staff became like family to us. They helped us as a family, not just our son. I received help with pumping, they always checked on me to make sure I was taking care of myself – sometimes they had to force me to go eat in the cafeteria.

The valet even became our friends. They checked on us, made sure I grabbed dinner before leaving for the night, asked how our son was, and made us feel at home. Then March 2020 came. Lockdown in the NICU. My husband could no longer visit, and I had to live in our sons room and not leave the NICU. We had already overcome so much: eye exams, blood transfusion, increased feedings, working on regulating temperature, moving to a crib, gaining weight, and now a lockdown. Thankfully, we only spent 2 weeks in lockdown and came home April 7th.

Without the support of the NICU staff there is no way we would have made it through this journey. They made an impact on us in the worst days of our lives. The primary nurses became like family to us, and some of them even watch our kids now for us. They were our support system. They understood the significance of our little boy gaining an ounce and moving up 2 ml of milk was a BIG deal. They were there for my husband and I while they were fighting to keep ALL the babies in the NICU alive. They are angels. They encouraged us, supported us, and held us when we cried. They are the reason our son is alive today and they are the reason we can stand here today and tell our story.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
He is learning more and more about his journey and understanding volunteering and giving back to the NICU. He is an amazing big brother and truly an old soul. He is the sweetest and strongest little boy.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
1lb 10oz

Weeks Gestation
27 Weeks

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