In 2008, there were 42 surviving babies born at a kilo or less (that's about 2 lbs, 3 oz) who stayed in the NICU at Beaumont Hospital, in Royal Oak Michigan - our son, Alexander was one of them. In 2011, our daughter Bethany was also born at less than a kilogram, and spent several months in the same NICU.
It’s not a big number - certainly, a large portion of the babies in the NICU start out at 3-4 pounds, because they aren’t nearly as early as most micropreemies are. Project Preemie is our own little way of giving back to the NICU that took care of Acorn for over 9 months by giving a little something to families in similar circumstances. We deliver gift bags to the NICU every few monts- enough so that every tiny baby (1 kilogram or less - that’s up to about 2 pounds, 3 oz) - has something to wear. Typically, each gift bag includes a onesie or shirt or outfit (all NICU compatible) and a hat, (and sometimes blankets, socks, and small stuffed animals or other things), with a friendly note that says something along the lines of, “we’ve been there, we wish you well; finding clothes for Alexander made a big difference for us, so we wanted to make sure you had clothes that fit your baby - when your child is having a good day, ask the nurses to let you dress him or her for a picture as a keepsake.”
While we could try to get enough clothing to give *every* baby there a new outfit, or every micropreemie in the area, that would be a very big project. Maybe this will become that sort of project in time, but it’s not our primary focus. As we acquire a stash of "regular" preemie clothing, we'll donate that as well.
