Baby Sloane's expected due date was December 27, 2024 but instead of receiving our Christmas bundle of joy, she arrived 8 weeks early on October 31, 2024. My name is Jen, I am Sloane's mother. On October 30, 2024, I woke up feeling sick, as if I was coming down with a cold. I went to work and one of the nurses at my office noticed that I did not look well and suggested I check my blood pressure. My blood pressure was 177/107 and I was immediately referred to Woodwinds Hospital to meet my OB. My blood pressure continued to be severely elevated and I was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia. I was then transferred to United Hospital since Woodwinds is not equipped to deliver babies prior to 34 weeks gestational age. Due to severe pre-eclampsia, I had to deliver baby Sloane within the next 24 hours for my safety and hers. Since Sloane was born over 8 weeks early, she will remain in the NICU for the next 6-8 weeks until she is healthy enough to thrive on her own. 

I was not prepared for Sloane to arrive 8 weeks early. I was planning to work up until her due date, December 27, 2024 in order to save up enough money to take 8-12 weeks of maternity leave. My company does not provide paid maternity leave, therefore I will have to use short-term disability to receive 60% of my weekly pay since I am not able to go back to work due to ongoing pre-eclampsia. I may have to take 8 weeks of unpaid leave after the short-term disability period expires since Sloane will be in the NICU for 6-8 weeks and I will require additional time off to care for her when she is able to go home. My husband and Sloane's father, Ben, is an independent contractor, therefore he does not have any medical benefits or paid leave. I provide the medical benefits for Sloane, Ben, and I. We have a high deductible health insurance plan, therefore our family deductible will be $10,000+. Since I will only be receiving 60% of my weekly pay, money will be very tight for us for the next 3-4 months. We will have the added medical expenses, as well as our regular bills, such as mortgage, groceries, utilities, car payments, and insurance. Since Sloane will be in the NICU for the next 6-8 weeks, Ben will have to decrease his work hours in order to spend time bonding with Sloane in the NICU. We will be driving to Children's Hospital everyday, which will require additional expenses for gas and parking. We also need to purchase baby supplies since we had to cancel our baby shower and this is our first child. Ben and I are trying to focus on Sloane's health and provide her with love and support while she's in the NICU but with the added expenses and decreased income, we may not be able to spend as much time with her as we'd like. If we received financial aid, it would help relieve a lot of stress related to financial constraints and would allow for us to focus on Sloane's health during this difficult and unexpected circumstance. 

Sloane is an Irish name meaning "Warrior." We couldn't have picked a more perfect name. She is a fighter and continues to grow stronger each day.