The Mickelsen family with Portneuf Medical Staff[/caption] Paying It ForwardPOCATELLO/Portneuf – The Magical Moments baby photo contest was about celebrating the precious lives that began at Portneuf Medical Center in 2017. However, with the generous gift from the Grand Prize winners, the Mickelsen family, babies born in 2018, who need to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, will receive a special gift bag. Attached to each gift bag is a note from the Mickelsen family: “Dear NICU Parent, Congratulations on your new arrival! We know the joys of holding a new bundle of joy and also the worry and stress of having them here in the NICU. We were so blessed
from the kind acts of others while we spent a month here and want to pay it forward. Our twins won the Portneuf Medical Center baby contest and were awarded some cash. We took that money and made ‘survival kits’ to share with you. We hope you can enjoy a few snacks, water, wipes, diapers and a baby book on us. If anything, we hope it gives you the strength you need. Know we are rooting you on as well as all the amazing nurses and doctors here. Stay strong and we wish you the very best!” The photo of twins, Zach and Krew, were among sixty-three babies entered in our online photo contest this year. Voting was based on public popular vote; the photo with the most likes at the close of the contest was selected for the grand prize. “Everyone helped us so much,” said Emma, sister. “Mom picked out what was going in each bag and we totally helped,” said Caleb, older brother. According to the Center for Diseases Control, one in every eight babies in the United States is born prematurely, before 37 weeks. It is often difficult to predict which mother is likely to deliver early. In fact, the precipitating cause of early labor in nearly half of preterm births is unknown. Giving birth to a sick or premature baby can be quite unexpected for any parent and during this often overwhelming time, support and understanding are important to those families. Through the years, we have been fortunate to help many moms and babies through many different, as well as difficult, birthing experiences. We provide a level of care to patients and their families that meet and even exceed expectations.
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Note: Portneuf Medical Center is a regional referral hospital for southern and eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. From our Cancer Center and Level II NICU to our cardiology care and Level II Trauma Center, our dedicated doctors, nurses and staff stand ready to help families in the region.