The Heartwarming Stories Behind These Former Preemies, Now Healthy Kids
They're part of a campaign to bring hope to families of premature babies.
Viewing an image of a premature baby often issues an immediate blow to the heart. It's painful to see a teeny tiny newborn wrapped in tubes and wires as he or she fights for their life, even if you've never parented or known a preemie yourself. Complications from pre-term birth is the number one cause of death in young children, but the majority of premature babies will indeed survive the NICU and are able to live normal lives.
To raise awareness of preemie issues and provide hope to parents going through tough times, the L'il Aussie Prems Foundation has asked its followers to post pics of their own kids with photos of themselves when they were first born with the hashtag #foot4prems. Check out some of the photos published below (with permission), or see more on the foundation's Facebook page.
Aiden
Little Aiden was born at just 28 weeks. Now, look at those rosy cheeks!
Asha
Based on that excellent stinker face, you'd never know Asha was born at just 30.5 weeks.
Celine
Celine arrived about a month early.
Caelan
Caelan is photographed here wearing green in honor of other preemies. He weighed only 2 lbs at birth.
Hudson
Hudson said hello to the world at nearly 34 weeks.
Isabelle
This miracle baby has survived despite her birth at the end of her mother's second trimester.
Chandler
Baby Chandler has maintained those incredibly wise eyes since birth at 35 weeks.
Layken
Look at that face! Layken was born at just over 28 weeks.
Israel
This sports lover was born two months early, and spent the first few years of his life in and out of the hospital.
Ronan
Born nearly three months early, Ronan is now a grinning 10-year-old.
Parker
Due to severe pre-eclampsia, Parker arrived at 29 weeks weighing a mere 1.8 lbs.
Ruby
Born at 23 weeks, Ruby was about the size and weight (1.2 lbs) of a mango.
Shayla
Shayla <3s mummy and daddy! She was born at the beginning of her mother's third trimester.
William, Hayden, Thomas
Hey, dudes! These guys are now healthy, grown boys aged 7 (William), 9 (Hayden), and 4 (Thomas), left to right.
Kaitlin Menza is a freelance features writer. She lives in New York. You can see more of her writing at kaitlinmenza.com.
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