In lieu of a traditional baby shower, we want to provide an opportunity for family and friends to get to know and shower Kasan. Check out the page and if you would like to purchase a gift, please view our registry for options we have worked hard on researching.
Hi Friends! I was born over 2 months early (9/20/23), and was very tiny (1lb 1oz), so I've been in the hospital for a long time. But guess what? After a lot of help from God, and some really smart doctors/nurses, I'm feeling better, I'm much bigger, and I get to go home with my mommy and daddy soon!
I have some pretty cool names and it's important to me that you know what they mean and how to pronounce them:
- Kasan (kuh-sahn): Branch of a King
- Chidozie (chee-doh-zee-ay): This is my igbo/Nigerian middle name. It means, God fixed it / He made it good for me.
- Eric: That's right, I have TWO middle names! This is my Daddy's middle name, and now I have it, too :)
Cool, right? Anyway, check out some fun facts below so that you can get to know me better.
Pounds
Inches
Teeth
- I have been in two hospitals! I was born at Trinity Health and got really sick, so I rode in a big ambulance to DeVos!
- I love my pacifier and always have it close to me.
- My favorite food is my Mommy's milk. Yummy!
- Head rubs make me happy & put me to sleep.
- People are always saying I look like my Daddy.
- I love sitting up and looking around.
- I can get a little feisty sometimes, but I smile a lot, too!
- My "chick magnet" costume for the spring egg contest had the most votes in the hospital and I got a cool gift!
- I kick my legs when I'm excited.
- Tummy time is hard work, but I'm getting better at it.
- I like listening to music.
- The best cuddles are on Mommy and Daddy.
- I love taking tub baths.
- I like being read to, but short books, please!
O ur journey has not been what we had imagined. After a rough start, dealing w/ chronic hypertension, severe morning sickness, and hospital visits, we found out at our 20-week growth scan that our son was measuring 4 weeks behind. Due to a failing placenta, severely low amniotic fluid, and very poor blood flow in the umbilical cord, he had a condition called Intrauterine Growth Restriction. He wasn’t viable and delivering him early was not an option. They gave him a 0% chance of survival and 2-4 weeks before he would pass. Despite impossible odds, we left it up to our son, and ultimately God.
For 7 weeks, we started each day wondering if it would be the day that he would leave us. We endured weekly appointments, and despite worsening conditions, at each appointment, the sound of his heartbeat would fill the room giving us relief that we “made it another week."
Week 8, things took a turn for the worse. Blood flow in the umbilical cord reversed (reverse diastolic flow) and all signs pointed to complete placenta failure.
He was essentially starving - not able to receive the nutrients and blood flow needed to grow and thrive. Although I was 30 weeks pregnant, he was measuring 5-6 weeks behind and was physically the size of a 23/24-weeker. With him being under 1lb (13oz), barely viable and still too small to deliver, he was given days left to live.
A week later, after 2 successful heartbeat checks, we went in for another growth scan to see if there was by any chance, growth or change that would shift our circumstance positively and allow us to intervene.
It was at that appointment, September 19, 2024, that we witnessed a miracle. Amniotic fluid that was below 2cm the entire pregnancy, increased to 6.4cm - normal range. The reverse blood flow in the umbilical cord was non-existent, and instead, there was elevated blood flow. He had gained the 3oz needed to hit 1lb, and finally, his diaphragm was moving, showing us that he was “practicing breathing” in the womb. The perfect window of opportunity that we prayed for had presented itself.
Admitted to the hospital for delivery.
Following the appointment, we were instructed to go straight home, pack a bag, and head to the hospital. The plan was have 2 24-hour steroid injections to give Kasan's lung growth a quick boost prior to delivery since they were so underdeveloped. The first injection was given that evening and overall, the night was calm and uneventful. Kasan was enjoying all of the extra fluid that he wasn't used to having, was very active and continuously falling off the baby monitor.
The next day, our doctor was supposed to come and check on everything that evening. As a high-risk specialist, he has his own practice and makes rounds at the hospital in the evening. To our surprise, he showed up early in the morning due to some changes in his schedule and wanted to make sure everything was still going ok.
Kasan and this doctor had a "special" relationship. During past appointments, whenever the doctor would try to look at his umbilical cord during an ultrasound, Kasan would kick the cord consistently, making it difficult for him to get a good read.
This morning was no different. Kasan kicked away, longer than usual, causing the doctor to shift to other areas to try to distract him. The doctor shifted to his heart, and immediately his heart rate dropped very low and came back up. We laughed, thinking it was Kasan's physical response to "not liking him."
After trying to sneak back to the cord to get a read, Kasan continued to kick away. The doctor went back to the heart, and again, the rate dropped very low. He immediately became concerned. It appeared that Kasan, who had been fighting for so long, was growing tired. He feared that his heart may be finally giving out, and with him falling of the monitor so much from being active, if his heart rate were to drop and not come back up, it could be missed on the monitor.
We are so thankful that our doctor showed up when we did, and not that evening as originally planned...and we are so thankful that Kasan kept kicking that cord, forcing the doctor to focus on his heart at the right time.
Within 30 minutes, we were prepped for surgery and rushed to the operating room. The neonatologist expressed concerns about Kasan's survival. All of the risks that had previously existed were still strong realities. Given his lack of development, he was not expected to breath on his own, could very well require resuscitation, succumb to respiratory distress, and could even be too small to fit their smallest NICU equipment. The operating room was full of people ready to do the best they could to save Kasan's life, with the hospital's largest ventilator ready and waiting.
Kasan gets very sick and transfers to DeVos Children's Hospital.
Babies with long NICU stays are more susceptible to infections. In early January 2024, while on NIPPV for oxygen support and pressure, Kasan got sick with pneumonia, a lung infection, and was placed on a breathing tube. The infection was so strong that his health declined very rapidly and we almost lost him. Weighing only 4 lbs, he was rushed to DeVos Children's Hospital for a possible life-saving surgery, ECMO. ECMO, a form of life support, is a very serious procedure where a machine takes over heart and lung function when a patient's organs don't work on their own.
Thankfully, after being placed on a stronger ventilator, sedated, and put on various medicines and antibiotics, Kasan recovered well from the infection without needing the ECMO procedure. However, his bout with pneumonia caused his lung conditions to worsen and he remained on the breathing tube for a month without any sign of being able to drop to a lower form of oxygen/pressure support for quite some time.
Now, the beautiful thing about babies and their lungs is that it takes years for lungs to fully develop, so some babies who are dealing with breathing issues related to underdeveloped lungs, just need a little bit of help for a couple of years until their lungs are large and developed enough for them to get the job done on their own.
Tracheostomy procedure is done.
Kasan continues to grow and thrive.
Mid-March, Kasan took his first big step towards discharge - switching over from his hospital ventilator to his "home" ventilator - a ventilator that isn't as strong and requires babies to do a little bit more work than usual. It's natural for some to struggle with this transition and have to go back to the hospital vent until they are strong enough to try again, but Kasan switched over with no issue at all.
Currently, Kasan has been medically cleared to come home. Medically cleared to come home. He is stable, growing, thriving, and such a happy and carefree baby.
Throughout his entire NICU stay, he has consistently met with physical, occupational, and speech therapists to help him stay on track with development skills. He is hitting his bench marks and developmentally appropriate for his size and age.
It has been truly special watching him grow. He has an infectious personality and brings nothing but smiles and joy to those around him. He is strong, stubborn, silly at times, and never hesitates to let us know when he doesn't like something or is upset.
Nearing the end of Kasan's NICU stay and preparing for discharge.
We are in the process of preparing for discharge, which takes a bit of time when a baby is trach/ventilator dependent. As parents, we have to be fully trained on how to take care of a medically-complex child; from learning how to give meds, to learning how to take care of and change out trachs, what to do in emergency situations, how to use the various medical equipment that we will be coming home with, and much more. We have been in multiple weekly classes that will be wrapping up soon.
Additionally, the hospital is working to secure mandated home nursing. Because Kasan will be ventilator-dependent, he will have to be monitored closely 24/7. We are required to have home nursing that will come to our home and help us at times so that we are able to sleep and take care of ourselves.
We look forward to bringing Kasan home in a couple of weeks!
Next Stop - Photos
My NICU Journey
A peek at little ole me!
Click on image for full size.
Next Stop - Love Notes
Leave Kasan
a Message
Our Virtual Book
When my Mommy found out that I was sick in her tummy, she read "The Little Engine That Could" to me every night.
The message of the book is centered on never giving up, even when things are hard, and she wanted me to remain strong and push through. It also teaches us that hardship, rejection, and disappointment can be overcome through perseverance, which was really helpful for my parents who were really sad when people kept telling them that I wouldn't make it.
This book is very special to our family. Two copies have been with me at the hospital, one that is read to me, and the other is for all of the great people who have helped take care of me and my mommy to sign so that I can look back on my journey when I'm bigger.
If you have a moment, can you please sign my virtual book?
Final Stop - Showering Kasan
View Our Baby Registry
We appreciate your support!
Family and Friends, we are so thankful for all of your love and support during this special time in our lives. With our unique pregnancy, and the uncertainty surrounding it, we were not able to have a traditional baby shower. As we excitedly start to bring our NICU journey to an end, we are now getting our home ready for a medically-complex child.
In lieu of a traditional shower, we wanted to provide an opportunity for family and friends to get to know and shower Kasan. If you would like to purchase a gift, please view our registry for options we have worked hard on researching.
We thank you in advance and appreciate your support.
- With Love, The Kelleys
This website was designed with love by my mommy.