At nearly two years old, Lorcan is an energetic, mischievous toddler who loves to climb the monkey bars and kick around the soccer ball. He’s hitting all the milestones for his age and is even “more advanced” in some areas, his mom, Casey Lane says, proudly. For his parents, it’s especially reassuring to see Lorcan’s development as he was born six weeks early.
“You just don’t know if your baby is strong enough to survive so you have that in the back of your mind,” Lane recalls, thinking back to those early days after Lorcan’s birth.
Lorcan entered the world at 9:42 am on Nov. 5, 2018 – only a half hour after his mom arrived at the hospital in pre-term labour. She was driven to the hospital by a friend. Lorcan’s father, James, was out of the country at the time and quickly cut his trip short after learning his wife had given birth to their first child.
For the next three weeks, Lorcan was cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit at Covenant Health’s Misericordia Community Hospital. He was fed through a feeding tube, required oxygen support and was treated for jaundice. Under the care of the dedicated, specialized health-care team, with access to state-of-the-art equipment critical to giving premature babies the best start possible, Lorcan began to get stronger.
“While he had the feeding tube, he ripped it out five times,” Lane laughs, describing how it was a relief to see him grow healthier every day.
In the moments following his birth, Lorcan was already getting in a little screen time - screen time that helped in the critical bonding process with his parents. He was the first baby to benefit from the NowICU project – an initiative where iPads are used to connect new moms and their babies virtually in instances when they can’t be together physically.
Nearly immediately after Lorcan was whisked away to the NICU, his medical team connected him with his mom through FaceTime while she was still in the recovery room. Lane was able to witness the early moments of her son’s care and she was also able to capture these moments on her phone to share with her husband.
The Now ICU program is now widely used by the labour and delivery teams at the Misericordia to help supporting the bonding process when a mom is separated from her newborn baby. It’s just one of the projects enhancing the level of care at the Misericordia through the generosity of donors to Covenant Foundation and made possible through fundraisers like DreamLife Lottery.
“It’s so necessary for health care providers like Covenant to be able to keep up with new medical technology through programs like NowICU,” said Lane. “The importance of helping keep new moms connected with their newborns is invaluable. If you feel comfortable in a hospital, you are more relaxed, and this will help with the recovery.”
Lorcan hit another milestone this week as he marked his second birthday on Nov. 5. His parents are grateful for the dedicated and compassionate care he received that helped give him the very best start possible.
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Lorcan is now a healthy, energetic two-year-old. |
Lorcan pictured with his parents, Casey and James, last Christmas. |
“Our experience with the Misericordia was exceptional,” she added. “We felt welcome and cared for, 24/7. We were truly grateful for the expertise and the patience the nurses had when we asked them questions about our care.”
Purchase your ticket today, to help make a difference to patients and families receiving lifesaving supports at Edmonton’s Misericordia and Grey Nuns hospitals. The final deadline is Nov. 13.
Written by: Laura Ehrkamp