The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the John Hunter Children's Hospital provides highly specialized, family- centered care for sick and premature newborns.

Kacey was born at 28 weeks via C Section under GA due to placental abruption & sepsis on 27/07/204.

Mum Kristie was taken by ambulance from home to the birthing unit at JHH. She was in screaming pain that felt like her inside were being pulled down. Mum's heart started to fail and Kacey's heart beat could not been heard or picked up on the monitors so mum was rushed in for surgery and told they may not be able to save the baby. What a horrific last thought while you go under?!

Kacey was born a tiny 1025g and he was rushed into NICU straight from birth. Mum and Dad could not hold him for a few days as the doctors and nurses tried to stabilize him and monitor and treat him for sepsis.

It was traumatic to say the least. We had not assembled his cot or washed his clothes (not that they would have fit him anyway).

NICU was our safe place. Its where all the outside "noise" stopped and it was just us and the bubbles from the cpap machine would put us to sleep while we did skin on skin time.

NICU enabled Kacey to thrive into the little happy and healthy boy he is today. Without them he would not be here.

Kacey is a miracle baby in more ways then you could imagine.

After many years of fertility treatment Kacey's mum gave up on having her own children and grieved the fact she would not have a child after many miscarriages. Kacey's pregnancy was a big surprise. Completely unplanned. Mum had been on medication for hormones that prevented 99% of pregnancies but she had E-coli poisoning from a burst sewer at home that went in here ears, nose, eyes, mouth and made her violently ill for many many weeks which made the medication ineffective. And then here was this little blob on the ultrasound screen. Given her history Kristie's private OBGYN referred her to the midwife team at JHH and was allocated to the M3 team due to high risk of loss and complications such as mums heart.

Dad Andrew has a son Cooper to a previous relationship who is now 10. Andrew married his wife Kate 7 years ago. Kate had a daughter to a previous relationship-Izzy who is now almost 13.

Dad and Kate tried for many years to have their own child but Kate had severe endometriosis that was almost always mistreated/not treated at all by her doctors and subsequently Kate ended up with cancer despite many many doctors visits. She had a large 24cm tumor on her ovary but unfortunately the cancer spread quickly through the rest of her body. Kate lost her battle with endometrial cancer at age 32, She was diagnosed in February 2023 and passed in July 2023. Kate was still working from home up until she lost her battle. Izzy remained in Andrew's care after Kate passed. This little family shared a lot of heart ache so Kacey's surprise took a little bit to process.

See link for more info on Kate's battle. https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/8295750/she-made-me-a-better-person-kate-32-died-from-ovarian-cancer/

For dad, Kacey is his little ray of sunshine in the most difficult of situations.

We spent almost 10 weeks in NICU and the special care nursery. The work of the Neonate nurses and doctors are incredible. We are forever thankful for their tireless efforts to keep Kacey and all the other babies going.

It is a situation that unless you have experienced it you cannot understand the internal anguish you feel every hour of every day but having the NICU team there with all the equipment and medications to keep our boy alive gives you some relief.

In lieu of gifts for Kacey you can donate to the NICU unit at JHH, Without them he would not be here with us to celebrate his 1st birthday!