“I can hear you cry. I know you’re alive.” That was Donna Loi’s first thought after her twins were born unexpectedly at 23 weeks and six days at Sunnybrook. She recalls her fear of having Davin and Dalaila so early, and of learning they were only 600 grams in weight. “I questioned why this happened to us, to our babies. I was scared and confused about seeing all the medical equipment surrounding their little bodies in the incubators. They didn’t look like newborn babies that I was used to seeing,” says Donna. The twins spent 132 days in Sunnybrook’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The uni ..read more

Photographed: Team members of Sunnybrook’s Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic Shylee giggles enthusiastically, surrounded by toys, as her mom packs a diaper bag. “There’s a lot to cart around when we go out – her oxygen tank is the most important,” says Shanice, who looks proudly at her daughter, who was born at 24 weeks at Sunnybrook. The pair are on their way to see the care team at Sunnybrook’s Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic. Shylee still uses oxygen for pulmonary hypertension and continues to smile as they hop in the car. Thankfully, their commute is just a 10-minute drive to a satellite clinic which se ..read more

Like a lot of Canadian kids, seven-year-old Gage will be playing lots of hockey and skiing this winter. What sets him apart is his start to life. Gage was born at 22 weeks and five days and spent four months in Sunnybrook’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “It hasn’t been an easy path, but it has been so rewarding,” says Heather, Gage’s mom, who explains Gage has low vision, autism and receives therapy for mobility issues. “He has disabilities but we make the best of it and celebrate every milestone.” Dr. Eugene Ng, Medical Director of the NICU at Sunnybrook, is on the frontline when an ex ..read more

Pictured above: The Steane family David Steane recalls stretching his legs after hours of holding his premature son skin-to-skin in Sunnybrook’s neonatal intensive care unit. “I would stare at the ‘Wall of Fame’ – stories of babies who left the unit and were thriving. It was emotional, and it gave me hope for the future,” says David. For two months, David and his wife Nicole took shifts holding and talking to Nathan, who was born weighing two pounds and six ounces. Nathan in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Now, the couple are watching with pride as Nathan enters his third year at Wil ..read more

If you ask Hailey and Samantha about their favourite activities, expect a long list. Rock climbing, swimming, hiking, ice skating – it’s tough for the outgoing 10-year-old twins to narrow it down. “Watching them find their passions in life is incredible,” says mom Sandy Thompson. “There are no limitations. They want to try something new and they follow through.” The twins had an early start to life. At 27 weeks of pregnancy, Sandy began experiencing a placenta complication. The girls were born, with Hailey weighing one pound, 13 ounces and Samantha weighing two pounds, eight ounces. Both were ..read more

Chasing your child with food, using electronics to distract your child to eat, playing games like airplane to get your child to eat more–if you’re the parent of a picky eater, these tactics may sound familiar. Rena Rosenthal, a registered dietitian in Sunnybrook’s neonatal intensive care unit, works with families to provide strategies to encourage happy feeding. A happy feeder is comfortable with eating and able to enjoy food and mealtimes. “Parents who have had a premature baby are often concerned about weight gain for their infants and children, sometimes to the point where food, and eating ..read more

Dinosaur names can be tricky to pronounce. When Emery Litynsky picks up her favourite book, “micropachycephalosaurus” rolls off her tongue. It’s a small everyday moment, but meaningful to Emery’s parents as she was a micro-preemie, born at just over 24 weeks and weighing only 770 grams in 2015. “She’s a very early reader,” says Nathan, Emery’s dad, who explains her advanced reading has made her popular in her junior kindergarten class, with kids often gathering around her to hear stories. Nathan recalls their time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and admits it was a tough start. Born ..read more

Is your family in back-to-school mode? Maybe your child is heading off to school for the very first time. How is your child feeling about this? Excited? Nervous? A bit of both? Life has lots of unpredictability, or lots of ‘waves.’ Some will be small, like spilling your coffee in the morning, and some will be big, like the first day of a new job. For children, going to school for the first time — or even heading back to school for a brand new school year — can be one of the biggest waves in their young lives. As you get closer to the big day, your child might experience a mix of emotions rangi ..read more

For families in our neonatal intensive care unit, the simple act of holding their baby skin-to-skin (kangaroo care) has a lasting health impact. Luisa King, a nurse working to support staff and families to make kangaroo care possible, and Dr. Paige Church, a neonatologist and developmental paediatrician who follows families after they leave the unit, explain why it really is the best medicine. What is kangaroo care? Luisa: Humans are created with a deep need for connection. No matter who you are, connecting with another person is important for not only our survival but for us to thrive as indi ..read more