By Tammy George
Hannah was a high risk pregnancy due to my extensive scar tissue and history of preterm labor. However, much to our surprise, my pregnancy was going great with no issues at our many check ups. But at almost 28 
weeks, my water broke in the evening, as I was sitting on the couch. Having never experienced my waters rupturing spontaneously with my sons, I assumed I was peeing myself and went to bed. After waking a couple of hours later to the side of my bed being soaked, my husband called the hospital and they demanded I get there quickly. While I was still in disbelief and confusion, the hospital staff determined indeed my water had broken and gave the first lung steroid shot. The goal was to keep her inside of me for many more weeks. On the third day, the contractions began and it was feared that me/Hannah was developing an infection. Hannah was born on July 30th, 2010 via c-section weighing 2 pounds 15 ounces & 16.25 inches long.
One of my favorite parts of her story is that the doctor who saved me 30+ years ago, 29 weeks and 1 and a half pound, was the same doctor who saved Hannah— Dr Alan Lantzy. God works in mysterious and wondrous ways. Hannah was a feisty fighter from day 1. She was known for notoriously yanking her leads and iv’s out daily. She survived 3 holes in her heart, brain bleeds, blood transfusions, many bradycardia episodes, many apnea’s, NEC scares, failure to thrive, and more. Amazingly, she came home at 36 weeks weighing just 4 pounds.
Today, she is a petite 8 year old who passionately loves cats and 
gymnastics. She’s a super strong competitive gymnast who loves her team and coaches. She thrives at school and loves her friends and teacher. She is fierce for her brothers and they love her so much. She is our warrior princess. The NICU has changed me forever. 8 years later, memories and flashbacks will still creep up. I will never cease to be amazed that the teeny tiny baby girl thru the glass has overcome all she has, to be the wondrous, spirited strong girl she is today. It’s amazing how us moms just adapt to the NICU life and how quickly that becomes ‘normal.’ The days I prayed for her to just breathe, have turned into days where I watch her soar at all she loves. I’m so grateful that she and I survived and that our family is together. I’ll always remember those moms whose babies never got to go home—whose arms are empty remembering their angels.
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