May 03, 2022
As The Birth Place celebrates its 5th anniversary, one special NICU graduate is ringing in her 3rd birthday. Despite a 2-day stay in the NICU, 3-year-old Emerson has grown into a happy, healthy toddler.
“She is absolutely perfect,” her mother, Amanda, says. “We are forever grateful to the NICU nurses at The Birth Place.”
Before Emerson’s birth, Amanda was a float pool nurse at Olathe Health, now The University of Kansas Health System in Olathe. She was familiar with The Birth Place and its NICU, which is why she decided to deliver her first baby there. While Amanda never thought she would have a child need the NICU, firstborn Emerson had her own plans.
Arriving a few weeks early, Emerson needed extra monitoring. Amanda still remembers how nervous she and husband, Chad, were at the time.
“The staff did such a good job of calming first-time-parent nerves,” Amanda recalls.
The support the nurses provided, in combination with the private rooms, gave Amanda and Chad the tools they needed to recover and prepare for Emerson’s journey home. On the morning of May 30, 2019, just 2 days after Emerson’s birth, the family of 3 left the hospital.
Today, Emerson enjoys her baby brother, Disney movies and playing outside. Her family describes her as smart and talkative.