It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of their lives. Mia and her husband were expecting their first baby and were so excited. Early on during Mia’s pregnancy, it was flagged that their baby was quite large considering the baby’s gestational age, “but that wasn’t really a surprise,” Mia laughs, “my husband is 6 foot 6 and was an 11-pound baby!” Some additional ultrasound appointments aside, Mia had a normal pregnancy, and the couple couldn’t wait to meet their baby. “When I went into labour, I ended up with an induction after some complications towards the end of my pregnancy with preeclampsia, which resulted in a non-emergent C-section.”

Their baby girl, Ina, came into the world three weeks early and weighed nine pounds and 13 ounces. “Since she was a big baby, she was tested right away for blood sugar,” Mia remembers. When her baby was tested within an hour of being born, her blood sugar was undetectable. “She was severely hypoglycemic,” explains Mia, meaning the sugar (glucose) level in her blood was too low. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the brain and the body. Ina was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the St. Catharines Site right away, where she ended up spending the next 31 days to determine what was happening with her.

Mia, who was still recovering herself from her C-section, tries to focus on the moments of light and joy when she thinks back to those terrifying days. “Everyone was so helpful. In those very first days, I couldn’t even hold my baby without help, but I got to be with her at the NICU whenever I wanted. The nurses’ support really mattered. They helped me to hold my baby, feed my baby. They helped me figure out how to be a mom.”

They helped me to hold my baby, feed my baby. They helped me figure out how to be a mom. – Mia, Ina’s Mom

Ina quickly became quite famous in the NICU as the biggest baby there and the one with the loudest voice. “It was really funny because the nurses in the NICU don’t usually deal with such big babies,” Mia smiles at the memory. “She was strong and thriving, strong enough to pull out her tubes… she knew very early on what she did and didn’t want and wasn’t afraid to show us, even during those first weeks of her life at the hospital.”

After trying several different approaches, they found the right combination of medications that kept Ina’s blood sugar stable, which meant that Mia finally got to bring her baby home.

Almost 18 months have passed since those first weeks of Ina’s life. Today, she is an independent, feisty and fearless little explorer who loves to run, climb and swim. It turns out the blood sugar challenges she has been facing since the moment she was born are caused by a chronic condition due to a genetic mutation. She has routine appointments and her blood sugar gets tested daily but, thankfully, it can be monitored and controlled with medication.

Mia’s gratitude and her gift to Niagara Health

To show their appreciation for their daughter’s care, Mia became a monthly donor to the Niagara Health Foundation last year. “Donating to Niagara Health is one of those things where you’re directly impacting someone’s life. By donating, you’re giving my baby the chance to have a bigger crib to sleep in. You’re giving another baby the isolation unit they need. You’re giving the tools that keep a baby breathing. I can see the return of my donation immediately by donating to the hospital.” During her 31-day stay, Ina went from sleeping in an incubator to a baby cot to a crib. “All that equipment was so important,” says Mia, whose monthly gift goes specifically towards needs in the Women, Children and Babies Unit.

Donating to Niagara Health is one of those things where you’re directly impacting someone’s life. – Mia about her monthly donation

“The nurses and the attention they gave to our baby and all of the babies in their care really stood out to us. Their incredibly good care is what we choose to remember. There were very scary moments but also so many moments where we had help and support.” The early intervention made all the difference in Ina’s life, and making that monthly gift is Mia’s way of saying thank you. “For us, it’s a small amount we give once a month. If we all just donated a small amount, it could build into big dollars to buy life-saving equipment. Nobody wants to be at the hospital – we sure didn’t expect to stay there for so long. It was crushing going home the first night without my baby and leaving her there. But it brought us comfort knowing that she had the tools and resources and equipment to keep her safe when we couldn’t be the ones to be there with her.”

Thanks to our donors, the amazing team at Niagara Health had the tools they needed to help Ina.

Monthly giving is:

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We invite you to join our monthly giving program today!

Your gift will touch the lives of thousands of patients and families from all across Niagara.