I really hate to do this, but it's kinda our last resort.
Our son Nico was born 7/28/25 due to Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Ever since he was born, he has struggled with eating and gaining weight and severe pain while eating. He would eat a small amount and would not gain weight, or he would sometimes eat up to 3 oz but still would not gain enough to reach his milestones.
It has been a struggle for a long time. We have tried new formulas, fortifications, medication, and still, he would go up to 2 days without eating due to the pain he experiences with each feeding. For months, we have seen doctors, GI specialists, and underwent lots of testing with no results pointing to why he goes through these hardships. After months of testing and trying new things, his GI doctor and pediatricians decided the best option now is full hospitalization. This decision did not come easy for them as hospitalization is kind of the last resort for something like this. His testing results reveal malnutrition. Doctors have told us we've done all we could, but it still feels like there's more we could've done despite the reassurance.
Unfortunately, this was an unexpected event that has cost us a lot of money. Nico is hospitalized at the children's hospital in Columbia, which is a little over an hour from where we live. I am having to cut my hours at work, which we are not able to afford right now. Nina is not allowed to come to the hospital due to hospital policy because of the measles outbreak, which means one of us is having to stay in the hospital at all times while the other stays with Nina. During this time, we have also had to board all 3 of our animals as we have been paying for nights at a hotel to be close to Nico. We are also thousands of miles away from any family, which makes it hard.
Thankfully, we have amazing friends who are able to sometimes watch Nina when we both want to be with our baby, and we were able to have a night paid for by family for our hotel. Still, we are faced with a lot of financial uncertainty because we don't know when he will be out of the hospital, and it's costing hundreds in gas having to travel 2 hours to and from work each day and paying for our animal boarding.
If anyone has any suggestions or would consider donating, we would be very appreciative. If you can't donate, all the love and support/prayers are just as good. Thank you for reading if you read this far.