Premature babies have an incredibly tough fight for the first year, especially so when they are born much earlier than their expected due dates.
Breathing difficulties, vision problems and gastrointestinal problems are just some of the many problems a premature baby can face. Thanks to the support and hard work of dedicated doctors and nurses who work around the clock at NICUs in hospitals, many premature babies are able to live happy and fulfilling lives. Still for a parent nothing can be more stressful than watching your baby spend their first moments in life fighting for survival.
It’s tragically still a big problem in the United States where as many as one in ten babies are prematurely born, according to the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes is an organization that funds research in the hopes to make premature births a thing of the past.
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When one couple’s baby was born prematurely, they were instantly concerned. Their baby was born 3 months earlier than their expected due date! Little baby Ward Miles weighed less than 1.5 pounds when he left the womb. Significantly less than the average weight of a baby that is between 5.5 and 10 pounds!
It was an incredibly hard time for the couple. Miles Ward’s mother, Lyndsey, wasn’t able to hold her baby boy until 4 days after he was born! Unlike most mothers who are able to quickly hold their baby after delivery, Lyndsey had to wait.
Even when she was able to hold him, NICU nurses were present to make sure nothing went wrong with the many machines that Miles was relying on. A truly heartbreaking scene for any mother.
Still, Miles and his parents stayed strong as he continued to grow bigger and stronger everyday.
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But good news was over the horizon. Over the year Miles found his strength and began to prosper in the NICU. Everyday his parents would come and visit him in the NICU. And everyday Miles’ father would be sure to snap a picture of little baby Miles to document how much he grew over the course of his first year. The video below shows his absolutely amazing progress.
Finally, after a long 107 day stay in the NICU, Miles was able to go home for the very first time. His parents were unbelievably excited and happy.
Ever since then Miles and his parents have been inseparable and Miles has continued to grow big and strong. He has become like any other baby, eating his own food, crawling and walking. The change is truly incredible from the baby that was born at just 1.
5 pounds! Miles continues to live life to the fullest, as you can see from the above picture he is like any other young baby boy!
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