Eighty-three days of courage, tiny victories, long nights, careful monitoring, and a strength far beyond the size of her little body. For baby Haddie, every day in the NICU is a new chapter in a story of resilience — a story that continues to inspire her parents, her medical team, and the countless people rooting for her from afar.
Today, on Day 83, Haddie gifted everyone with something precious: a steady day. And in the world of premature babies — in a world where every breath requires effort and every gram gained is a triumph — a steady day is a blessing worth celebrating.
Fighting Forward, One Breath at a Time
Haddie continues to work hard on her bubble CPAP, a device that helps keep her tiny lungs open and supports the breaths her body is still learning to make on its own. Her setting remains at 6, a level that requires steady effort, but Haddie continues to show she’s up for the challenge. Her oxygen needs today hovered between 25% and 30% — a reassuring sign that her lungs are working just a bit more each day.
She alternates between the mask and the prongs, giving her delicate skin intermittent relief while still maintaining the support she needs. Her team plans to try adding the barrier again — a small but important adjustment — watching closely for any signs of leaking air or desaturation. If Haddie tells them she’s not ready, they’ll pull back immediately. Every step forward is taken with caution, intention, and love.
At night, her chinstrap returns, helping keep her bubble CPAP in place so that her lungs receive the consistent support they need. It’s a small detail, but in the NICU, small details can make all the difference.
Growing, Gram by Gram
Weight gain may seem ordinary for most babies, but for Haddie, it is a daily mountain to climb — and conquer.
Her dosing weight is now 2.3 kg, and she’s been gaining about 20 grams a day. To anyone outside the NICU, 20 grams might sound tiny, but here, it’s worth celebration. It’s proof that her body is growing, healing, strengthening.
Her feeds are carefully measured: EPF24 and her mom’s milk fortified to 24 calories, 44 mL delivered slowly over an hour to keep her tummy comfortable. The team is considering condensing her feeds to 45 minutes — a small step forward — and they’ll check her blood sugars afterward to ensure she handles the change well.
So far, she hasn’t had any true episodes of low blood sugar. Just one borderline lab in the past — another sign that her body is adapting, regulating, and learning what it means to grow.
Tiny Tummy Battles
The gastrointestinal struggles of preemies are often unspoken but deeply real. Haddie continues to take her daily prune juice — 5 mL — to help her little system move along. If she continues to struggle, they may increase it to 10 mL.
She’s been gassy and working hard to stool, a challenge familiar to many NICU babies. But Haddie, as she always does, keeps trying.
Her medication list remains steady:
— Poly-Vi-Sol for vitamins
— Hydrochlorothiazide to support fluid balance
— MCT oil for extra calories
— And her scheduled “gas and lights” every Monday and Thursday
Every dose, every intervention is a carefully placed stepping stone on her path toward stability and strength.
The Strength of a Tiny Warrior
NICU journeys are never linear. They are made of fragile progress, unexpected setbacks, slow gains, and moments of breathtaking courage. Haddie embodies that journey. She shows her strength not in leaps, but in steady inches, in steady breaths, and in steady days like today.
Day 83 reminds us that healing is rarely loud. It is quiet, patient, determined. It happens under soft lights, through the hum of machines, through the hands of nurses who know her rhythms, through parents who love her fiercely, and through a community lifting her up in prayer.
A Family Held by Love and Prayer
Haddie’s parents continue to walk the delicate line between fear and hope — a line every NICU family knows too well. They watch monitors, learn new medical terms, study her cues, and celebrate every ounce gained. They pray. They wait. They love her through each rise in oxygen support and each drop. They show up every single day, bringing with them the kind of love that keeps a little girl fighting.
And surrounding them is a world of people who have chosen Haddie as their own — people who pray for her, cheer for her, and believe in her. Every message, every prayer, every word of encouragement is a reminder that her story is not being lived alone.
A Rainbow in the Storm
There is something remarkable about a baby who, before even taking her first breath outside the womb, becomes a symbol of perseverance. Haddie is that symbol. She reminds us that strength comes in many forms — sometimes in a one-kilogram body, sometimes in a bubble CPAP hum, sometimes in 20 grams a day.
And today, she reminded us again: she is strong. She is steady. She is still fighting.
To everyone who continues to hold her close in their hearts — thank you.
Your love surrounds her.
Your prayers lift her.
Your hope fuels her journey.
Haddie is showing us every single day what courage looks like. And on Day 83, that courage shines brighter than ever.
