NICU fathers celebrate Father’s Day at Memorial Health

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - For some fathers in Savannah, Father’s Day means time surrounded by feeding tubes, heart monitors and nursing staff.

Staff at Memorial Health are working to make Father’s Day special for all of their dads, even sending them home with a custom keepsake.

Alan Madrid’s wife didn’t know she was pregnant until March. Just one month later, their son arrived prematurely.

“He’s been fighting for his life, he was born at twenty-four weeks, and he weighed one pound and three ounces,” Madrid said.

Now, just ten weeks later, the baby weighs four pounds and five ounces.

“I’ll be here for him, and you know spend my fathers day here with him, you know, he’s one of the most important peoples in my life,” Madrid said.

As Alan and his family process the ups and downs of having a preemie, staff at Memorial Health are working to keep families comfortable, marking milestones and celebrating alongside them.

Thursday, nurses worked with babies to create their first Father’s Day gift. They stamped each baby’s foot onto baseballs, a keepsake for every dad in the unit.

“Being in the NICU is not an easy feat for our families, so we try and do things for them to support them, and have them normalize things as much as possible,” said Rachel D’Antonio, neonatal nurse manager.

Madrid is relying on their support team, prayer and using his son’s courage to keep him moving forward.

“This little one over here has you know teached me a lot, you know, he’s a fighter, he’s fighting for his life. So, on my end it’s just, you know, being around support him, um, and be here for him,” Madrid said.

Madrid described the NICU team at Memorial Health as a blessing. He said their support has made all the difference.