Mason | 26 Week Preemie | NICU Portraits | Charlotte, North Carolina | Krista Gantt Photograph

“My husband and I have an 8 year old daughter who longed to be a big sister and we knew our hearts were ready for another child. We were overjoyed when we learned our family would be growing, and the excitement continued when we learned we were having a boy. We planned showers and the nursery and was determined to make everything PERFECT!

Until at 25 weeks things became not so perfect, as my body went into labor. We rushed to the hospital and learned we would soon be having our preemie baby. The neonatologist came to talk to us about what to expect, and what our stay looked like, and survival odds. It was overwhelming and terrifying but that conversation really prepared us for our NICU journey.

Mason was born  via c-section at exactly 26 weeks weighing 1 pound 11.2 ounces and came out ready to fight! At 4 days old he became gravely ill, and we feared we were going to lose our baby, but God was not done with Mason and Mason was not done fighting. It was a hard fight for a few days but we made it through it with a lot of prayers and by the Grace of God. His sickness did cause a grade 4 brain bleed and hydrocephalus which has required two surgeries during our stay. He has overcome so many obstacles and continues to amaze us with his strength.

We have been in the NICU for 80 days, currently just transitioned to special care, learning how to feed and we will soon be heading home. My advice for any parent that is having to walk this NICU journey is to first realize it is a long road, BUT this is only temporary.

There are scary times, frustrating times, and joyous times. Take them all in. Every small victory, celebrate it! Your firsts with your baby will be a lot different than other moms with newborns. You will celebrate a day without bradycardias, no more PICC line, less respiratory support, or a good head ultrasound. No, it’s not the normal excitement you plan for as a mom, but it’s your new normal and it will be just as exciting as hearing your baby coo for the first time!

Embrace the rollercoaster. It won’t be long until you are home with your little miracle and this fight and this journey will remind you of yours and your baby’s strength!”

Penelope | 26 Week Preemie | NICU Portraits | Charlotte, North Carolina | Krista Gantt Photography

Penelope

26 weeks

1 pound 0.09 ounces

Penelope’s parents are not strangers to parenting, but they knew even before her birth that Penelope would need some extra special care upon her arrival. Her mom and dad are currently balancing care for their other children with time with Penelope in the NICU. Between daily life at home and commuting to and from the hospital, life can really fly by. Being a photographer herself, Penelope’s mother wanted to capture her daughter’s feisty personality during her NICU stay, so she welcomed a NICU session for her sweet little lady. Bundled up next to her very first octopus, here is a glimpse into the NICU journey of this little fighter and her loving parents as well as a note from her mother about Penelope’s diagnoses and how she made her grand entrance into her family of five.

We found out we were expecting and were going to do a water birth until all these unexpected things kept coming up. [There were] multiple doctor appointments with fetal medicine and cardiology. We first found out our little girl would be born with cleft—once we got settled in knowing that, we had a cardiologist appointment and we found out she had hole in [her] heart in two different spots. So being scared we put it in God's hands. We knew He could work miracles. Pregnancy was going pretty smooth other than that until 25 weeks my water ruptured and I had to rush to ER and they had to stop labor. They were able to keep baby in another week but then a turn for the worst her heart started to decel. We had to deliver 12/19/19 and she came out crying and doing great on just CPAP.  Two kids at home…and traveling everyday to Charlotte to make sure I'm with my sweet Penelope too it's crazy and a roller coaster, but God is amazing and He works miracles.

Wade and Waylon | 26 Week Preemie Twins | NICU Portraits | Charlotte, North Carolina | Krista Gantt Photography

Wade and Waylon

26 Weeks 2 Days

1 pound 10 ounces & 1 pound 14 ounces

“We had been trying to get pregnant for 3 years and were about to start the IVF process, and then found out we were pregnant with identical twins! The pregnancy was going well with doctor appointments every two weeks to keep an eye on the babies. We decided to have the boys' baby shower at 26 weeks, so we would have time to get the nursery ready. Well, the boys decided they wanted to come see what they got at their shower...I went into labor 2 days later!

I really had no clue I was in labor but knew something was wrong. I went to the hospital and they confirmed I was in labor and immediately started meds to try to stop it. Well my water broke and I was taken in for c-section. My sweet redheaded baby boys were born at 2:01pm & 2:03pm. This was by far the scariest day of my life. Looking at them now at 11 weeks old (37 weeks gestation), they are perfect.

Still in the NICU but doing great!! I could not be more thankful or impressed with the nurses and doctors. I thank god every day and I'm looking forward to being able to take my boys home.”