Meet Marybeth F., Parent Mentor at Akron Children's

Marybeth's Story

Our story began when I was 28 weeks pregnant and my daughter, Sophia, was born by emergency Cesarean section due to my preeclampsia/HELLP Syndrome. After a quick hello, Sophia was taken to Akron Children's's NICU, which became our home for the next 12 weeks.

After being ventilated for 24 hours, Sophia transitioned to vapotherm and eventually to room air. She had a PDA, which was corrected with two rounds of medication. And though we had some bouts of apnea as she came off her caffeine, we we're lucky to have a 'feeder/grower' to care for!

And so we settled into our routine. I kangarooed and held Sophia every precious moment I could. I pumped breast milk for her, as she developed severe reflux and an oral aversion that kept her from taking full feeds by mouth. Eventually, this was our stopping point. To get her home, we made the choice to keep Sophia on an NG. We were very fortunate that she needed this for a very short time and transitioned to full feeds at home.

We qualified for Help Me Grow and Early Intervention, two amazing resources that helped guide us on this unfamiliar path. By age 3, Sophia resolved her reflux, made her developmental milestones and no longer needed these programs.

We are incredibly grateful to the Akron Children's NICU team and Help Me Grow for their skill and expertise! Sophia is one amazing example of the wonderful work done an Akron Children's!

Marybeth is a parent mentor for these conditions: Developmental Delays.

Marybeth is a mentor for these care services: Developmental Delay, Feeding and Nutrition, NICU

Contact Marybeth