Having your first child is an exciting time but when I unexpectedly ended up on bed rest, things  turned scary. Laying in the hospital bed, praying our baby girl would stay inside my womb just a few more weeks, I was encouraged when one of the neonatologists from Sunflower came to visit my husband and I. She explained what would happen when I delivered our baby girl, that she would be taken to the NICU where I would be taken to visit with her as soon as possible. The doctors were very caring and took the time to explain what to expect with a premature birth and how long our daughter would likely stay in the NICU. At 30 ½ weeks, I went into labor and had an emergency c-section. I was able to visit with our daughter for a few minutes prior to the doctors and nurses taking her to the NICU, with my husband accompanying her.

Over the next 7 weeks, we learned a lot about premature babies and the unique challenges they face in the first few weeks of life. The doctors at Sunflower Neonatology were there for us, always very patient and caring, explaining procedures and addressing all of our questions and concerns. Our daughter thrived in the care that she received at the Overland Park NICU under the care of the wonderful team of doctors and nurses. At 49 days old, we brought our beautiful, healthy baby girl home. She has had no major medical issues since that day. Today she is a flourishing 3 ½ year old that nearly always has a big smile on her face. We receive comments everywhere we go about what a happy girl she is, whether it be from her preschool teachers or strangers at the grocery store. We are forever grateful and blessed by the care that our daughter received from the doctors at Sunflower. She is the light of our life.