Meet once-premature babies who are growing into happy, thriving children
In honor of Prematurity Awareness Month, babytalk.com is sharing the stories of 14 families who experienced the birth of a premature baby. Click through the galleries below to read each family’s story in their own words, and see pictures of their children, then and now.
Brittany Baldwin, 10
“At birth, she weighed a mere 2.1 pounds. Once my water broke, the doctors tried several methods to stop the contractions…”
More about Brittany’s birth
Alexander Barton, 4
“During a routine ultrasound it was discovered that I had a lack of amniotic fluid. I was hurriedly admitted to the hospital for supervised bed rest…”More about Alexander’s birth
Sophia Baum, 17 months
“The first 10 weeks of her life were spent in the NICU at the Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN. It was a very difficult and emotional time for our family…”More about Sophia’s birth
Lily Valdez Bessone, 2 1/2
“She was on a ventilator for the first night after her birth, and had to remain in the hospital for a month and a half…”More about Lily’s birth
Christopher Conrad, 2 1/2
“At just 22 weeks, my water broke and I had no measurable fluid. I was told that my baby would be born very early…”More about Christopher’s birth
Nathaniel and Nicholas Derecho, 13 months
“I had no idea what my twin boys would have to go through to survive until I actually saw them….”More about their birth
Evan Dillon, 1
“Evan was a 28 weeker: born 12 weeks early due to a condition called preeclampsia…”More about Evan’s birth
Dante Esposito, 3
“He was born nearly three-and-a-half months before his due date, and weighed in at a whopping 1 pound, 15 ounces…”More about Dante’s birth
Archangelo Iurato, 3
“On the day he turned 1 month old, he almost died from an infection, which thankfully he was able to overcome…”More about Archangelo’s birth
Ana Leis, 8 months
“The doctor announced that he would have to deliver the baby by cesarean, as her heart rate was very irregular…”More about Ana’s birth
Patience Lemly, 1
“When I first saw her, I was filled with fear, but also an immense amount of love…”More about Patience’s birth
Zoe McKoy, 22 months
“Zoe was born seven weeks early because I developed HELLP syndrome (a life-threatening complication of preeclampsia)…”More about Zoe’s birth
Zoe, 14; Hagen, 3; and Layla Shonka, 2 1/2
“I have actually been blessed with three tiny (but perfect) babies…”More about their births
Evangeline VanDuinen, 1 1/2
“Weighing just 1 pound, 12 ounces, she was on a ventilator for 17 hours and then…”More about Evangeline’s birth
