Premature Infant's Million Dollar Smile Gives Hope To Anxious First-Time Parents

Nov 08, 2019 by apost team

Pregnancy is a beautiful but also scary time. One of the biggest worries parents can have is that their child will be born too early. Watching a premature baby struggle through life-threatening health issues is absolutely terrifying and heartbreaking.

Lauren and David Vinje discovered this the hard way. The couple had felt for a while that something was off about Lauren's pregnancy, and she wrote about the experience in the Birth Without Fear blog.

At 28 weeks, Lauren developed preeclampsia. This condition causes the mother's blood pressure to skyrocket.

It can lead to organ damage and even death. The best treatment for preeclampsia is to have the baby. Doctors told Lauren that 28 weeks was way too early. She bravely held on, despite seeing flashing lights and having ankles that were dangerously swollen, People reported.

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When Lauren reached 32 weeks, doctors decided to induce her pregnancy. During labor, David and Lauren received more bad news—baby Freya had moved sideways in the womb. Lauren would need an emergency cesarean section to save Freya's life.

The doctor was able to deliver the little baby safely, but the fight wasn't over yet. Freya weighed only three pounds and had to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Lauren and David felt as if their hearts were breaking as they watched their tiny baby fight for her life. They tried to believe that everything would be okay, but it was difficult.

Then a miracle occurred. Something happened that filled them and everyone around them with hope. Freya smiled. It was no ordinary smile. At only five-days-old, Freya managed a big, beaming grin.

Even though she was still hooked to scary medical equipment, the little girl radiated happiness. It was a sign to everyone that she'd be just fine.

Luckily, her parents managed to capture the smile with their camera so that little Freya can bring joy to people all around the world. Today, Freya is happy and healthy and even has a new sibling.

If seeing Freya's beautiful smile uplifted you, be sure to pass it on so other people can be inspired as well! And don't forget what you think about this gorgeous grin in the comments.