07/16/2025
When their daughter Ellie was born at just 25 weeks, Kayla and Trevor’s world shifted in an instant. What followed was four months in the NICU and a roller coaster of hope, fear, and extraordinary strength.
Currently a hospice social worker in the Sullivan and Hawkins County areas, Kayla helps families deal with their loved ones’ final chapters. But nothing prepared her for her own journey as a new mom.
High blood pressure and a growing fibroid led to a high-risk pregnancy, monitored by specialists at UT Medical Center. One morning, while at work, Kayla didn’t feel well and her vision turned hazy. She checked her blood pressure, and it was sky-high. She was admitted to the medical center with preeclampsia, and for the next week, her blood pressure continued to go up and down. “I was so sick,” she said. “It was all a blur.” The following week, Ellie was born. She weighed 1 pound and 8 ounces, and she came out fighting for every breath.
With both of them still at risk, Kayla’s doctors continued to care for her, while the neonatalogists in the NICU cared for Ellie just down the hall, a short wheelchair ride away. Once Kayla was discharged, she made an effort to come back every day. “I would go to work, then head straight to the NICU and stay until 9pm,” she said. “I did that almost every night for four months. Dr. Lattimore and the nurses would tell me to go home, to get some rest. But I couldn’t – that’s my baby in there.”
Kayla said that the care team at UT Medical Center made all the difference. “Ashley became our primary nurse in the NICU,” she said. “She and Marie and Bonnie sat with me when I cried and encouraged me. Without their care, Ellie wouldn’t be here. They were on it.”
Ellie finally came home in March 2022, on oxygen and a heart monitor. “We were terrified,” she said. “We took shifts sleeping in the living room for months. We didn’t go anywhere. We just wanted to be by her side in case she needed us.”
Support came from everywhere – her husband, her parents, her sister, home health nurses, and early intervention therapists who helped Ellie grow stronger each day. “There were setbacks and scary moments. But Ellie just kept showing me ‘Mama, I’ve got this.’ She amazes me every day.”
Now nearly four years old, Ellie is a feisty force. “She has this huge heart, a huge sense of humor, and absolutely no fear,” Kayla said. “She loves vegetables and even asked me for a salad for dinner last night.”
Through it all, Kayla and Trevor’s community and support systems sustained them. “I really found that I’ve grown in my faith,” Kayla said. “I learned I can’t do this on my own, and it’s okay to ask for help.”
https://www.utmedicalcenter.org/blog-post/fighting-thrive-mother-and-her-babys-journey-nicu
