Mom Holds 12 Ounce Baby Girl For The First Time After Two Weeks

May 20, 2020 by apost team

Naomi Joy Bakker was born 15 weeks premature in 2016 weighing 12.86 ounces, one of the smallest birth weights ever recorded. Naomi's mom and dad could finally hold her two weeks after her birth.

Thankfully, medical interventions and technologies now ensure that the majority of these cases turn out just fine, but the process of birth to home gets much more complicated and precarious as medical teams find themselves overcoming health issues and compensating for deficiencies that might not be present during normal birth. Such was the case with Naomi Joy Bakker.

apost.com

Naomi Joy Bakker tipped the scales—very lightly—as she was born at a birth weight of only 12.86 ounces, one of the smallest birth weights ever recorded. She was, in fact, so small and so fragile that her parents were not allowed to hold her at first. They could only watch helplessly as doctors and nurses worked feverishly to hook her up to all sorts of life support equipment to regulate temperature, heart rate, and respiration—all in an attempt to keep this precious girl alive.

As the first chaotic hours passed, doctors placed a protective covering over Naomi that would allow her parents to touch her, ever so gently, as they spoke words of comfort and love to her. Naomi's journey and fight to survive had just begun, and her parents remained steadfastly loyal and positive that she would make it through this tough entrance to the world.

For weeks, Naomi remained on life support equipment, heat lamps regulating her tiny body, respirator doing the work that a healthy pair of lungs would hopefully soon do. LED displays showed constant data regarding her heart rate, breathing, temperature, and even when she was in need of a diaper change. Nurses, doctors, and medical staff worked tirelessly and monitored Naomi around the clock to make sure she had every advantage needed to survive.

Her fight was hard enough. Through it all, her mother and father stood by her side, talking to her, touching her when they could, but they had not yet been allowed to hold her fragile body and provide comfort in the most intimate way possible.

As you can imagine, it was a Herculean effort to coordinate the moment when mother Angela would hold Naomi for the first time. Eight NICU staffers, all hands on deck, provided assistance while Angela tentatively cradled her precious daughter in her arms. From the moment they made skin-to-skin contact, Angela was completely in love.

Naomi was set for an additional 128 days in intensive care before being allowed to go home, and during that time Angela made the trip up to the hospital every single day to ensure that she and Naomi could spend time bonding as much as they could.

Naomi is now a happy, well-adjusted girl who smiles, loves cuddles, and blows kisses to everyone she sees. This little bundle of joy gives love and joy wherever she goes. Pass this inspiring story along to spread hope.