Our time in the NICU has been amazing.

Rob Smart: Liz woke up early one morning when she was 29 weeks along in her pregnancy. We went in to the doctor in Marshall where we live and it was clear pretty quickly that something wasn’t right. Everything happened really fast, so we didn’t have time to freak out. We got to the hospital at 6 a.m. and Lucy was born at 9:48 a.m.

By the time Lucy was born, the NICU team from Bronson Children’s Hospital was already at Oaklawn, so as soon as Lucy came out they handed her to the NICU team so they could take her vitals. After about two hours, the team put Lucy into the special ambulance for NICU babies and transferred her to Bronson Children’s Hospital in Kalamazoo. I followed them to the hospital.

Liz Smart: She was born on a Tuesday, I was well enough to go the NICU by Thursday, and have been there everyday since. Lucy weighed 1 lb. 11 oz.  She is now 2 lbs. 8 oz. at 33 weeks.  She’s been doing awesome. She’s basically breathing on her own. She is fed 100% off of breast milk now through a feeding tube.  Her weight is the biggest challenge – she just needs to keep on gaining weight.

The NICU staff has been wonderful to us. They want to make sure we are doing ok. Not only are they taking care of Lucy, but they generally care about how we are doing, too. We are grateful for all the resources available to us including music therapy, the parent liaison, Ruth, and the social workers. There are things that as a first time parent you don’t even think of, but everyone has been really helpful.

Rob: Our time in the NICU has really been amazing. It’s obviously not where you want to see your baby everyday, but the staff is incredible, the nurses have been wonderful. While we wish we could take Lucy home, we don’t have worries when we leave her here, they are just so wonderful to her.