CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Vandalia Health CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital took time Sunday to celebrate the families that battled for weeks and months following a premature birth or other complications.
Each year, the hospital hosts a NICU grad party. This year, the CAMC staff brought in a petting zoo, stuffed animals, balloon art and other activities for the babies and children.
In 2015, David and Danielle Haynes were in the NICU for 92 days after their son Brayden was born two and a half months early via emergency C-section.
David says those 92 days were miserable at times, but the test made their family stronger.
“It was stressful. Sometimes you just look and say, ‘Well, we’ve got to do it because we were there for him the whole time,” he said. “It was a very stressful time, but we look back and we’re actually really thankful for the time and the connections and friendships we made through it.”
The Haynes family has attended every NICU grad party for the past 10 years.
Callie Pruett-Schwaber and her family also attended the event Sunday. She delivered her twin girls 11 weeks early this year. The family spent 45 days in the NICU until they were discharged four weeks ago.
She says the nurses and doctors getting to see the twins again was a special moment.
“You feel relief for them to see the babies that they cared for day in and day out,” she said. “These nurses spent more time with our children than we were able to in those first 45 days.”
Pruett-Schwaber says suddenly not seeing the nurses and doctors that helped her babies was for countless hours was an adjustment, so seeing them again was needed.
“It’s one of the most jarring experiences to go from seeing someone so intensely every single day, and then to not seeing them at all. It’s been kind of hard to be without them, so seeing them is overwhelming,” Pruett-Schwaber said.
For Pruett-Schwaber and her family, the stories of so many others that are on the other side of the battle is what she needed the most.
“Seeing the success stories. Seeing children and even sets of twins that are thriving, that are doing incredible with their parents years from now, I need to see that right now. We’re still in the depths of doctors and paperwork and we’re still finding our way through the darkness in all of this,” she said.