Preemie Prints is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting and sharing hope with families who have a baby born prematurely or critically ill. Our programs include: the gift of no-charge NICU & NICU graduate photography , giving the gift of handmade items, and online support. We donate handmade items to partner NICUs and to current NICU families.
After my first daughter was born nearly 7 weeks premature and spent time in the NICU, we couldn’t afford to have professional pictures taken of our new family. The hospital at the time didn’t provide complimentary photos for families in our situation. So one of the promises I made myself was that I would give that gift to local families with children in the NICU (as long as the NICU allows it) or NICU grads. I joined Preemie Prints in 2014 to do just that.
I was so thrilled to meet this family. Wes is simply one of the happiest boys I’ve ever met, and he’s even more fun to snuggle with than he appears in these images! He is also rocking breastfeeding despite having a feeding tube in the NICU! His story is incredible, so I wanted to share just a bit of what brought them to Preemie Prints (and me!) here: Wes was born full term at 39 weeks after a healthy pregnancy, but at some point he suffered a perinatal right MCA stroke. An MRI later showed that he had a blood clot in his brain. The area of the brain that was affected controls his left side and increases the likelihood of future seizures. His parents worried about the effects of his blood clot and whether or not it would grow; an increase in the clot size would mean brain surgery or blood thinning medication that would increase the chance for increased bleeding in his brain. Fortunately, with the wonderful care that he received at Fairfax hospital and with the prayers of many, his clot did not increase in size and he has not had any documented seizures since February 10th. Wesley was able to go home to his older sister on February 17th and he continues to impress everyone with his increased mobility and strength. His parents and doctors are optimistic that he will continue to show improvement and he has a very bright prognosis for the future.
