Help Out Baby Hunter R

Hello from the Rethans family. We have a wonderful bundle of joy to share with you. Hunter Ray Rethans is our sweet baby boy who we’re over the moon in love with. Hunter is an itty bitty micro preemie and will be living his first 2-3 months in the NICU which is located in a different city than home.  We are so lucky to be able to visit him at his bedside day or night.  During this time we are staying in housing near the hospital away from our home and daughter. 

Hunter  was rushed to be delivered around Valentine's day. He was so excited to come out and see the world that he decided not to wait until his due date of April 20th. This means that our wonderful little Valentines day present came two months early. As if being born at 30 weeks wasn't hard enough, he was also five weeks behind in growth due to a condition call Intra Uterine Growth Restriction. This meant that our little guy wasn't getting enough resources in the womb to grow at a normal rate. When our little peanut was born. He only weighed 1lb 12 oz. 

Hunter has had a tough time since being born but he came ready to fight. His biggest battle so far, has been his fight against an infection called Necrotizing enterocolitis which is basically a bacterial infection that tried to eat holes in his intestines. Thankfully, Hunter was able to beat the infection without having to have any surgeries.

He's come a long way so far, but still has a long way to go. Our team doesn't want to commit to dates , though they have told us to expect Hunter to remain in the NICU until late April to mid May. Our family is beyond excited to finally take Hunter home. Especially his big sister. 

Unfortunately, during COVID we can't have visitors and are located in a different city than all of of our friends and family. This makes it very difficult for others to help in ways that don't involve sending money. We have been urged by some friends and family members to establish a Go Fund Me account to help with some of the burden we face as a family. Accepting help from our people has been a very difficult but rewarding  process for us. 

We understand that some would like to help and we are very grateful for any contribution you may make. Please do not feel obligated though. Contributions will go towards medical bills, food delivery,  gas (lots of gas), and lost income. We will even sweeten the deal with some adorable baby pics.

We are grateful for your love, concern, and support,
The Rethans Family