Baby Wyatt's Medical Expenses

Last year Hannah Baker and Scott Baston were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their second baby boy, Dakota Rain Baker. Sadly, Dakota passed away at 23 weeks, and Hannah had to go through the painful process of giving birth to their deceased little boy on Feb 4, 2014. Their loss was devastating, to say the least, and changed them forever. No parent should ever have to lose a child at any stage of development, and for a mother the loss is a deep emotional scar that never really heals. It takes a great deal of courage for any mother to carry a child and experience the miracle of childbirth. For parents who have suffered the loss of a child, the prospect of trying again is often accompanied by immense fear, doubt, grief and physical, and emotional stress. To many of their friends, and family it came as a surprise to learn that Hannah and Scott have been expecting a new baby boy, due August 21, 2015. Due to the loss of Dakota, and the fear and uncertainty that followed, Scott and Hannah decided to keep this news close to home. On Monday, June 15, 2015 Hannah had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency caesarian at 30weeks 3days pregnant, due to a condition called placenta previa, which caused preterm bleeding and required early delivery to save both mom and baby. Their hearts sank at the possibility of losing another baby, as they did with Dakota. Happily after the surgery the doctors were relieved to say that Hannah came through with no complications, and baby Wyatt was alive and stable, but experiencing some respiratory distress.  Wyatt Phoenix Baker came into the world 10 weeks early, weighing 3lbs 14oz. He had to be placed in the NICU at Athens Regional Hospital immediately, with mommy unable to even meet him until late that night. Wyatt was put on a ventilator, placed in an incubator, and is monitored around the clock by a special team of doctors, nurses and technicians who provide a healing, sterile environment until he is strong enough to leave the hospital sometime closer to his original due date in August. Hannah and Scott will have to be at the NICU daily for feedings, parental bonding, and vital interaction including learning how to navigate the unexpected hurdles of caring for a premature child . Premature babies born before week 37 often spend a month or more in the NICU, simply because vital organs, such as lungs, are not fully developed. Babies are generally hooked up to around-the-clock monitors that measure blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen rate. They must also have IVs that give them necessary medications, as well as nutritional needs, as most cannot  breast or bottle feed. Baby Wyatt will be in the NICU for 8-10 weeks. His care runs between $5,000- $10,000 a day for an average overall cost of $300,000-$450,000.
 Wyatt's care will have to continue long after he leaves the hospital, becasue he will be developmentaly two months behind.  This care will enable Wyatt to achieve vital milestones expected of full term babies. This kind of care does not come cheap, and because of the burden their loss last year, insurance coverage will only go so far before the financial responsibility will be quite unbearable. Hannah, Scott, Cassidy, and Baby Wyatt need your help. Please lend a hand by donating whatever you can, no matter how big or small, to aid in releif of the mounting stress from hospital bills, Wyatt's on going medical needs, specialized care, essential supplies, and suplimental daily cost of living through these trying times. 

"In the sheltered simplicity of the first days after a baby is born, one sees again the magical closed circle, the miraculous sense of two people existing only for each other, the tranquil sky reflected on the face of the mother nursing her child." ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea, Chapter IV: Double-Sunrise