Preemie Parents Share Heart-Warming NICU Photos

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Jourdan and Matt Moore welcomed their twin son and daughter, Jaxson and Cadence on September 23, 2015, Born four months early, the twins went on to spend over three months in the NICU.

These parents are sharing photos from the time spent in NICU and  images of their progress to date, to offer hope for other parents in that difficult situation.

The experience was not easy for the Moore’s but today, the twins are healthy and thriving at home.

A photo they posted to Instagram went viral. It shows Matt holding Jaxson when he was just 23 days old. He weighed one pound, eight ounces and could fit inside his dad’s hand.

On this day… One year ago October 16th Jaxson fit inside his daddy’s hand. He was 23 days old and weighed 1lb 8oz. Exactly one week prior he had a breathing spell unlike any others. I was there with him when he stopped breathing and his heart dropped so low it almost stopped. I watched an amazing team of NICU staff jump into action. His tiny body was still and gray as one nurse gave chest compressions with her thumbs, another breathed for him with a bag, and a doctor re-intubated him placing the tube down his throat. In that moment I thought I might never see this beautiful scene again… Father holding his son. A week later here we were, enjoying the preciousness of life. And now this father wrestles with and works to keep up with the same little boy who is a non-stop ball of energy and a constant source of joy in our lives. God is good. #touchesoflove

A photo posted by Journey To Mini-Moore (@journeytominimoore) on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:08am PDT

In the post, he explained that just one week prior to that picture being taken, Jaxson had stopped breathing and his heart almost stopped.

“I watched an amazing team of NICU staff jump into action,” she wrote. “His tiny body was still and gray as one nurse gave chest compressions with her thumbs, another breathed for him with a bag, and a doctor re-intubated him placing the tube down his throat.”

“In that moment I thought I might never see this beautiful scene again,” she said. “Father holding his son. A week later here we were, enjoying the preciousness of life. And now this father wrestles with and works to keep up with the same little boy who is a non-stop ball of energy and a constant source of joy in our lives.

Although Jourdan does not wish the NICU experience on anyone, she’s chosen to focus on the positive aspects of that time in their lives. She believes that the experience has given the couple a powerful bond with their babies from early on.

Matt changing Cadence’s tiny diaper for the first time with his big daddy hands melted my heart. LINK IN PROFILE

A photo posted by Journey To Mini-Moore (@journeytominimoore) on Sep 29, 2015 at 7:16am PDT

Update part 2: take a very close look at Jaxson’s (left) face and you will see NO nasal cannula. That’s right…. No respiratory support whatsoever!!!!!! Despite the procedure Tuesday he has been breathing so well on his own that we are gonna give this a try and see how he does. The twins are 36 weeks gestational age today (86 days old) and they got some sibling time on daddy’s lap tonight 🙂 This was a huge milestone!!! Our hearts are full of joy and we are amazed by God’s grace on these little lives.

A photo posted by Journey To Mini-Moore (@journeytominimoore) on Dec 17, 2015 at 10:44pm PST

The twins were born via embryo adoption and surrogacy.

Jourdan is a Crohn’s disease sufferer and is unable to carry a pregnancy due to her treatment.

In the latest update, Jourdan says the twins are doing quite well at home. “Both are a little small for their age, which is to be expected,”

They do face a few medical obstacles – Jaxson is nearsighted and wears glasses, and Cadence has a chronic lung disease and needs oxygen at night. Cadence also uses a feeding tube to supplement her nutrition. She is however expected to outgrow the condition.

 “Both babies participate in regular physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to aid in the achievement of developmental milestones.” The mom explained.

Jourdan and Matt want their story to bring a sense of comfort to other parents of preemies.

“We hope other NICU parents find hope in our story and the importance of skin-to-skin ‘kangaroo care,’ not just for mothers but for fathers as well,” said Matt.

Hello there Instagram! Many of you are new so we’d like to reintroduce ourselves. Jourdan and Matt are Jr. High sweethearts who married 11 yrs ago and wanted a family right away. Jourdan battles Crohn’s disease and was in and out of surgery for years. She saw multiple drs, diets, every FDA approved medication, even trail studies w/out remission. Finally she resorted to methotrexate, which has put her in remission. This drug is also used for clinically assisted abortions so trying to get pregnant was out of the question. We tried for years to adopt with out any luck. We faced one closed door after another. Until we heard about frozen embryo adoption! We adopted embryos left over from another couple’s IVF and our best friend Hollie and her amazing husband John generously offered to host the embryos in her uterus as our compassionate surrogate. Hollie is healthy, and had two of her own children from uneventful pregnancies. However, the twins caused complications including placenta abruption which pushed her body into early labor at just 23 weeks + 1 day gestation. She was on bed rest in the hospital for 5 days until waiting was no longer an option. Hollie’s and the babies’ lives were in danger so a cesarian was performed on 9/23/15 delivering the twins at 23 weeks + 6 days gestation… 16 weeks early. Jaxson was born 1lb 6oz and Cadence was 1lb 1oz. They remained in the NICU for 98 days and came home on oxygen and monitors. Cadences was re-admitted a couple of times for complications with chronic lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, and micro-aspiration. Recently the twins turned 1 yr old and are overall healthy little miracles! Jaxson is near sighted and wears glasses. Cadence still wears oxygen at night and uses a feeding tube while she overcomes oral aversions. She will also be wearing a helmet for a couple months to help re-shape a flat spot on the back of her head. We predict she we overcome all these obstacles with time, therapy, patience and prayer. NOW, we want to get to know all of YOU a little better! So tell us… How did you hear about our story / find our page? And where are you from?

A photo posted by Journey To Mini-Moore (@journeytominimoore) on Oct 17, 2016 at 5:53pm PDT

“The purpose of our social media accounts is to spread hope to preemie parents, those struggling with infertility, and spread embryo adoption awareness,” Jourdan added. “If we didn’t expose where we came from, some of our most difficult moments, then we wouldn’t be fully revealing the depth of the joy we are enjoying today.”