Almighty Acorn

Meet our seventh Almighty Acorn, the precious Ryder.

“Hello, my name is Ryhana. I am a 25 year old NICU mom. When I was 22 weeks pregnant I was informed at my anatomy scan that I was 3cm dilated. This came as a complete shock to me as I was feeling fine and didn’t have any preterm labor signs. The first thing I thought was “Will my baby make it? What does this mean for her? How did this happen to me?” I was rushed to the hospital, put on complete bed rest, & given medications to slow down the labor. Despite everything, after 2 weeks of bed rest my babygirl Ryder Nicole decided to enter the world on April 20th, 2021 weighing 1.9 pounds & being 12 1/2 inches long. My discharge day was the worst. I was so upset that I couldn’t take my baby home with me but I knew she was where she needed to be. The NICU days were a complete ROLLERCOASTER! As soon as we would take a step forward it felt like we would soon take 3 back. After 110 days in the NICU- having to learn how to feed, getting off of CPAP, & Brady’s constantly causing our discharge date to get pushed back, I finally got to take my babygirl home! Ryder is now 5 months actual, & 7 weeks adjusted. She weighs 13 pounds & has no health issues; besides being a preemie. All of her health issues went away the older she got… Even her ROP cleared itself up! All in all, I’m here to share my story & tell you that the bad times don’t last forever. There is a rainbow at the end of the storm. Be strong & have faith because these preemie babies are stronger than we’ll ever know.❤️🌈” - Ryhana (Ryder’s mom)

Swipe to see Ryder go from strength to strength! 💜

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#almightyacorn #preemiestory #nicustory #nicuwarrior #nicuawareness #nicuawarenessmonth #nicumom #preemiemom

Almighty Acorn

Meet our sixth Almighty Acorn, sweet little Jehlani-Khari.

“All my life I wanted a family of my own. After an unexpected pregnancy and loss in 2019, I became unsure if I could endure pain in the same way again (or if I wanted to). To my surprise, on my mother’s birthday in November of 2020 I found out I was pregnant. I had a completely healthy pregnancy until I was 28 weeks along. As a result of developing HELLP syndrome very suddenly, My little Jehlani-Khari was born at exactly 29 weeks on 03,2021 at 2lbs 8.6oz via c-section. We spent 100 unforgettable long days in the NICU together before being sent home to grow. I watched him grow from having a CPAP to breathe to a high flow oxygen cannula to being able to do it on his own. Those little moments in the NICU were my happiest. Every little accomplishment mattered (and still does). We faced many challenges in the NICU, I watched bedside procedure after procedure. I stood by him during radiology procedures and day after day we had no answers explaining his health concerns aside from his “prematurity”. To our disappointment and a whole surgery later we were sent home. Fast forward to being home for a month and he’s done nothing but thrive on his own! Baby boy is outgrowing his TPN and continues to meet developmental milestones! I have faith in him. I have faith in us. He is my little miracle, NICU warrior and my heart will always and forever beat for him. He is now 4 months old, 11lbs and as happy as a baby can be!” - Kerilyn (Jehlani-Khari’s mom)

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#almightyacorn #preemiestory #nicustory #nicuwarrior #nicuawareness #nicuawarenessmonth #nicumom #preemiemom

Almighty Acorn

Our fifth Almighty Acorn is beautiful Alaina.

Meet sweet Alaina. Her due date was 5/20/21 but she was born on 4/18/2021 via C-section due to no movement and non-immune Hydrops. She was born unresponsive but her fantastic team worked on her tirelessly to bring her back and just look at her now. She also has Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS), a form of congenital heart disease and will be having surgery this week. She spent a month in the NICU. Although Alaina is a warrior she has gone through so much in her young life already. She have since been back and forth to the cardiac hospital 5 times. Let's all lift Alaina and her family up in prayer as they prepare for surgery this week.

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#almightyacorn #preemiestory #nicustory #nicuwarrior #nicuawareness #nicuawarenessmonth #nicumom