KAREN KROES

Founder and President

I joined the ranks of scared NICU parents in November 2011 when my son, Jay, was born quite suddenly and unexpectedly 13 weeks early weighing only 2 pounds, 4.2 ounces after an otherwise "normal" pregnancy. Many know him is "Mighty Jay," a nickname he received in the NICU that sort of stuck.  Rather than a celebratory post-birth hospital stay, we spent the first 72 days of his life in the NICU.  During most of that time, my head was spinning.  I could hear what the nurses, doctors and staff were saying...but processing what was happening most of the time was quite challenging.  

I founded PPOW because while there are MANY resources dedicated to preventing prematurity, there are very few that help new NICU parents navigate the scary world of tiny babies, NICUs, and a whole new vocabulary filled with a whole bunch of new, scary acronyms. Prematurity affects more than just the parents and preemie. It often affects extended family and friends.  It is PPOW's goal to help make the transition to being a NICU family a little less scary.

My sweet, funny, smart son, Gavin was born 3 months premature (28 weeks), underweight for his gestational age at 1 pound, 13 ounces. He was the smallest human being I'd ever seen in my life. I couldn't comprehend how a baby so small could survive. The doctor gave him a 70-75% chance of survival. THAT was really incomprehensible. He stayed in his first home (the NICU at All Saints in Racine, WI) for 66 very long days. We learned more medical terminology than we ever cared to know. We witnessed more medical procedures than we ever cared to become comfortable with. I learned how to be a mom all over again in this environment, with the help of the BEST nurses and doctors that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It is because of that fantastic care that we have a happy, active, hilarious, bright little boy today.

My hope for PPOW is that we will be able to give new NICU parents a little bit of comfort and guidance, and help support the NICU's that do so much for their tiny patients.

JULIE ANDERSON

Vice president

On November 10, 2005, William Jeffrey Anderson made his appearance into this world weighing 1 pound, 8.2 ounces and measured 12 ½ inches long.  To say we were unprepared for this situation is a gross understatement.  Will spent the first 95 days of his life in the St. Luke’s Women’s Pavilion NICU in Racine, WI., being discharged almost exactly on his original due date.  As a mom with a micro-preemie, I didn’t see my baby until over 24 hours later.  I couldn’t hold him for weeks.  I spent countless hours talking, singing and reading to my baby in the isolette, wondering if I really was making a difference in his life.  I watched as he was intubated 3 times, turning several shades of gray.  I watched him struggle to do everything.  I also watched him never give up.  I saw the care and concern from staff and their commitment to help him fight for his life.  They provided us with resources and support through our entire journey, making the transition to preemie life easier to understand.

As I look back to our time spent in the NICU, I didn’t think I needed the support of other micro preemie parents.  I now understand that having the knowledge that you’re not alone in your journey is priceless.  One of the goals of PPOW is to ease the transition for Wisconsin NICU families by offering support packages to parents who have brief or extended NICU stays.  I’m hopeful that this will create a positive impact in the life of many preemie families.