Meet September's Legendairy Little, Karter

Each month we donate a portion of our proceeds to a child with medical needs through the Legendairy Littles program. During the month of September, we are featuring Karter. Legendairy Milk is making a financial contribution to Karter’s family.

Karter’s mom was admitted to the hospital at 23 weeks for preterm labor. Thankfully, she was able to remain pregnant for 10 days before Karter was born at only 25 weeks gestation. She weighed 1 pound 10 ounces and was 13 inches long. At that time, the medical team gave Karter a 70% chance of survival. Every day since then, Karter has shown that she doesn’t let predictions stand in her way because she is an incredible fighter. 

 During her NICU stay, Karter has overcome so many obstacles. She experienced bilateral Grade I intraventricular hemorrhages, a Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) that caused significant breathing difficulties and anemia requiring a blood transfusion, and she continues to be monitored every two weeks by a pediatric ophthalmologist because she is at risk for Retinopathy of Prematurity. 

 She was originally supported with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and eventually made enough progress to transition to a nasal cannula. She also began bottle feeding alongside her NG feeding tube feeds and worked her way up to taking 20 mL by bottle. An NG feeding tube delivers nutrition through a thin flexible tube placed down the nose. Unfortunately, she suddenly became congested, stopped eating, and her color began to change. After additional testing, she was placed back on CPAP, and we received the diagnosis of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease caused by her extreme prematurity. 

Karter continues to receive her mom’s breast milk through an NG feeding tube while also working on bottle feeds. She recently has been able to take 10 mL by bottle again. Karter receives fortified breast milk and high-calorie formula to help support healthy lung growth, takes diuretics to help keep fluid from building around her lungs, and uses an inhaler as part of her treatment. Because of her BPD, when she is discharged from the NICU she will need to remain home as much as possible because illnesses like RSV or the flu could become life-threatening for her.

 Even with everything she’s been through, Karter has such a sweet personality. She is also known for being incredibly feisty in the NICU. Her nurses always reassure Karter’s family that her feistiness is a wonderful thing because it shows just how hard she fights through every obstacle placed in front of her. Over the months, she’s also earned the nicknames “Boss Baby” and “Queen Bee” because she’s been one of the oldest babies in the NICU unit. Despite all she’s endured, she loves when her mom reads books to her, enjoys massages from her occupational therapist and physical therapist, and absolutely loves bath time. Those little moments bring so much joy and remind her family how far she has come.