One out of eight babies born today will need to be treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit (NICU). Kelsey and AJ’s daughter was that one.
Kelsey was rushed to St. Elizabeth Hospital 14 weeks early. Little Emersyn was born
weighing only 1 pound 15 ounces and wasn’t breathing.
Emersyn was immediately connected to the Babylog ventilator to breathe for her until her
little lungs could take over. She was quickly transferred to the NICU in a specially designed isolette
that provided her warmth, moisture and monitoring systems.
The Babylog ventilator and the isolette were available for Emersyn because of caring donors.
The nurses and doctors quickly developed a plan for Emersyn’s survival. But all the
equipment in the NICU could not give Emersyn the irreplaceable nutrition only her mother could
provide. She needed her mother’s breast milk.
Emersyn’s early arrival took her parents by surprise. They had not yet purchased a breast
pump. But Emersyn’s situation was urgent.
Emersyn’s mother was quickly equipped with one of St. Elizabeth Hospital’s loaner breast
pumps, made available through the generosity of our donors!
“It was important to provide the milk immediately. Basically, it helped save Emersyn’s life.”
Kelsey said.
Fortunately, St. Elizabeth Hospital’s amazing lactation consultants had identified the need to
provide breast pumps to mothers who can’t be with their baby day and night. They reached out to
St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation to purchase this lifeline, made possible through generous donor
support.
About one month old, Emersyn’s health declined. She was again in need of the Babylog
ventilator. This time the ventilator infused the medicine that allowed her fragile lung tissue to
expand and accept the oxygen. Thankfully, she is now doing well.
(Over please)
“Without the life-saving Babylog ventilator, Emersyn would have been transported to
Milwaukee or Madison,” said Emersyn’s nurse. Because of the donations to the Women and
Families fund, she was able to stay close to home.
“This little baby is amazing! She needed blood transfusions right away in the delivery
room, and getting her mother’s milk was ‘liquid gold’ for her survival,” said Emersyn’s nurse.
As a supporter of the Women and Families Fund, our donors know about the
compassionate high-quality, personalized care provided by our talented doctors and nurses.
Donor generosity provided the resources for St. Elizabeth Hospital’s BirthPlace team to
purchase the breast pumps that provided the irreplaceable nutrition of breast milk. They equipped
the NICU with the isolette that kept Emersyn warm and monitored her every heartbeat, and she was
kept alive and close to home with the life-saving Babylog ventilator.
After 112 days in the NICU she went home with her parents weighing
6 pounds 10 ounces. Her survival is a result of donor generosity and
our talented health care team. Emersyn’s parents, Kelsey and AJ,
thank everyone on the NICU team and our generous donors.
Emersyn, day 111 in the NICU.
With sincere gratitude,
Mary Fochs, RN, IBCLC
Lactation Consultant
St. Elizabeth Hospital
Tonya Dedering, Regional Director
Affinity Health System Foundations