Katie was so incredibly excited to learn that she was pregnant. She and her husband, Justin, discovered they were having two boys at 16 weeks, and named them Case and Cannon.  When Katie was 25 weeks along, she began to feel sick. Her doctor assured her that all would be fine, but Katie’s water broke the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and she was transported from Union City, TN, to The MED in Memphis.

Anticipating a pre-term birth, Katie was given two steroid shots to strengthen the babies’ lungs for the journey ahead. Their due date was February 26th, but they were born on December 1st.  Case weighed two pounds and seven ounces, while Cannon weighed two pounds and three ounces. They were immediately whisked to The MED’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Right after they were born, the doctors told me that each baby would have his own neonatal team,” Katie recalls. “Watching those teams diligently care for each of my babies was heart wrenching.”  Despite her worry about losing the boys, Katie quickly saw that the medical staff at The MED was more than capable of taking care of her babies.  “It’s a terrible feeling to know that you can’t take care of your baby,” Katie relates. “It’s awful to know that the best place for them isn’t necessarily with you. The nurses were incredibly sensitive to my need to nurture, and showed their awareness by letting me do whatever I could do.”

Katie goes on to say, “The neonatologists were also so helpful and supportive! They explained every detail of Case and Cannon’s treatments. I never got the idea that they ignored what I had to say or were impatient with my questions. I never doubted that they were in the best of possible hands!”

All through her experience at The MED, Katie felt comforted by the staff. “You’re so thankful that there are people that can take care of them like that when they’re so tiny,” Katie says. “I was there every day, and the nurses would tell me what was going on for the day and how the boys were doing.” The MED nurses were careful to explain each step of caring for premature babies to Katie and her husband, Justin. “We learned so much,” Katie tells. “The boys are so young; their brains aren’t big enough to handle more than a few stimuli at a time, so I can’t make any noise as I change their diaper or hum as I hold them.  These are such normal things for a mother to instinctually do with a full-term baby.”

Katie is so grateful to The MED’s NICU nurses for helping her and her family through this trying time. “I can tell you every nurse they’ve ever had by name. I’ve gotten to know them, and they’re my friends now. The MED nurses really are your support system.”

“We’ll be so happy to go home, but we’ve made such good friends,” Katie says with a laugh.

If you’d like to contribute to The MED Foundation, which not only provides this amazing High-Risk OB Center, but also offers Memphis and the surrounding area a Level-One Trauma Center and a Newborn Center, please click here.