At 25 weeks and 3 days pregnant, Sydney Peer unexpectedly went into early labor in the middle of the night. She and her husband, Cole Hickle, made the drive to Des Moines around four o'clock in the morning. Emberlynn made her arrival shortly after seven o'clock in the morning by c-section, weighing just two pounds, two ounces, and twelve inches long.
Since she was born, Emberlynn has amazed everyone. Less than twelve hours after her birth, she was extubated for the first time. She overcame a heart murmur, an unknown infection, and truly made big strides to overcome the hardships of being born premature. After 95 days in the NICU, she was discharged, weighing eight pounds, one ounce, and nineteen inches long!
During Emberlynn's time in the NICU, Sydney and Cole were able to stay at our RMH inside MercyOne Children's Hospital. The House is located on the fourth floor in the main tower, just steps away from the NICU on the fourth floor in the East tower. After 93 nights at the House, they were able to take their sweet Emberlynn home on December 2, 2023 - just in time for the holidays!
They said, "Everyone has treated us like family since we arrived! This is a beautiful program and makes the stress of having a baby in the NICU feel less stressful. They are just as invested in what is going on with our little ones as we are, and always make sure to ask for our updates! Having provided meals every night is amazing! It's so helpful to not have to worry about making sure that we have food, because they make sure it's available for us! Just an absolute blessing to have the RMH during such a trying time in our lives!"