Parent Stories
Shepard James was born at 25 weeks and 1 day’s gestation. He weighed a whopping 2.3 lb and measured in at 13 inches. Shepard was my second child, but my first micropreemie. The first time around, I had the most perfect pregnancy with no complications. The second time around I wasn’t so lucky. I started having complications early in my second pregnancy, and finally, on December 27, it all came to a head. I woke up in the middle of the night with sharp and painful contractions and was immediately admitted to the hospital for preterm labor. I was given steroid shots for the baby’s lungs and spent two very long days on magnesium. We were so thankful when the contractions stopped and I was released home on bedrest. Unfortunately, just one day later, we found ourselves spending New Year’s Eve in the hospital, and unbeknownst to us, I would deliver our son just two days later. Keeping a long story short, I had a blood clot between my uterus and my placenta that was irritating my uterus and causing contractions. This was never seen on ultrasounds, and there was absolutely nothing that could be done about it. All the medications had actually made it worse! We were told that I would not be leaving the hospital anytime soon. Luckily, I wasn’t dilated at all, so we were hopeful. But as they rolled me over to relieve the pressure, my water broke, and within 10 minutes my baby son was born…and so began our NICU journey.
Our NICU experience was nothing short of a miracle. That’s the only word that comes to mind. A baby born at 25 weeks stands a 50% to 80% chance of survival and a 15% to 25% chance of suffering some type of permanent disability. Add in the fact that Shepard was born during the peak of the flu season of 2018, which was more like an epidemic, and we were incredibly lucky that he didn’t get sick once during his NICU stay. This wasn’t our only blessing; Shepard was born vaginally and suffered zero brain bleeds. A baby born that early can suffer a brain bleed simply from someone raising their legs too high when changing their diaper…that’s how fragile they are. Shepard did have a small PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) and a PFO (patent foramen ovale) in his heart, which were treated with ibuprofen and reduced significantly. Our biggest hurdle was his lungs. Even though he received steroid shots, he still suffered from chronic lung disease and was discharged on a continual one-eighth liter of oxygen.
When you have a micropreemie, your initial contact with your baby is very, very limited. Babies born that premature cannot be held early on because their skin is extremely thin, and any touching can be painful for them. Pumping is literally the only thing you can do for your child when they are that premature, so I put everything I had into making sure I could provide my milk for Shep. I will never forget Shep’s neonatologist telling me, “Mother’s milk is the best medicine to give your baby.” I woke up every two to three hours to pump fresh milk for Shepard. I pumped on my way to the hospital and on my way home from the hospital – I’m sure I was a sight to see, weaving in and out of traffic attached to a breast pump! It was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, soooo many tears, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Even though I had a great supply of breast milk, preemies need an extra little boost to provide them with more calories and protein. Right away, Prolact+ H2MF was introduced to us as the fortifier that would be added to my breast milk. The medical staff explained to us that Prolact+ was like the “cadillac of fortifiers” and was the only fortifier available that was made entirely from human milk for babies born as tiny as Shepard. For us, saying yes to Prolact+ was a no-brainer, and one of the easiest decisions we made in the NICU. If mother’s milk is one of the best medicines to help our micropreemie, why wouldn’t we feed him a concentrated form made from human milk? Prolacta gave us that, the best of the best, a 100% human milk fortifier to help our son grow in the most natural way possible, other than being in my womb. We wanted to give him the best chance to grow and thrive, and Prolacta offered that to him.
Shepard James spent a total of 80 days in the NICU and graduated on March 23, 2018, at 36 weeks adjusted – an entire month before his actual due date. He went home weighing a whopping 5 lb and was 16 inches long. Today, he is 7 months old (2.5 months adjusted) and weighs 16.5 lb, and I am so proud of those rolls! Shepard is hitting all his milestones. He has a sweet disposition and is becoming quite a talker! Our NICU days are long gone, but they still remain ever present in our minds. When Shep was first born, we were very unsure of what his future might hold, but I can say without a doubt that we wouldn’t be where we are today without the amazing NICU team that took care of him, without the prayers of our loved ones, and without the medical advances in neonatology over the past few years. Prolact+ was a HUGE building block in the foundation of our healthy, happy, and thriving son, and we will forever be thankful for Prolacta’s services. BabyShepard NICU graduation Baby Shepard at 7 months old with his big sister
To parents who suddenly find themselves riding the NICU roller-coaster, my advice comes from my wonderful neonatologist – time and patience. I wanted to scream every time I heard this from him, but as time went on, I understood it more. Your baby will get there; they just need time and your patience. YOU will get there. I promise that the NICU life doesn’t last forever (even though it may seem like it while you’re going through it).