If you're a parent to a child who was born early and spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), you have most likely never forgotten those moments in the hospital.
The beeps of the machines, alerting nurses of any changes are hard to erase from your mind.
"You really feel helpless," Karen Kroes said.
Last month, reporter Symone Woolridge introduced TMJ4 viewers to Karen and her son, Jay. The two deliver packages to families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or NICU.
"This is what I wished I'd had in the NICU," Karen said about her care packages.
Karen has sent countless packages to Ascension Hospital in Racine which is a place where she spent a lot of her time. Jay was born months early.
She had an emergency cesarean section at 27 weeks.
"The NICU world is very different than any other part of the hospital," nurse Cassandra Solfest said.
Cassandra has a unique perspective. Not only does she work in the NICU, but she can relate to being in Karen's position.
She too gave birth early.
"I was scared to death," Cassandra said as she teared up talking about her daughter Addie. "The nurse, Kim, I won't forget her name ever, said you can touch her."
Although Addie is her fifth child, Cassandra said she felt like her first. This was a new experience for her. Her other children were all full-term.
The most shocking piece of Cassandra's birth story might be when she found out she was pregnant. Cassandra didn't know she was pregnant until a few weeks before giving birth.
She was 20 weeks into her pregnancy.
Watch: NICU nurse didn't know she was pregnant.
"It was a shock to know that my stomach was moving because there was a baby in there."
"So you didn't even know you were pregnant at all?" Symone asked.
"No, not until four weeks before I had Addie."
Her youngest child was only 20 months old at the time of her delivery.
"I kind of just sat on bed rest for a few days," she said. "And then," Cassandra stopped talking as she paused and started crying.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's okay," Symone responded as she also got emotional.
"This happens every time," Cassandra said. "It's hard, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Symone said.
"After this, we're going to give each other a big hug. When I talk to parents I do this. A tear comes rolling down."
Cassandra remembers the moment her daughter entered the world.
"She came out with a cry. She sounded like a mouse and then they whisked her off to a table to start working on her. In the back of my mind, I knew everything was going to be ok. She had a heart rate and she was crying. I remember looking over and just knew she was going to live which was the greatest thing."
Addie could fit in the palm of her hand. She weighed 1 pound 4 ounces. She stayed in the NICU for 100 days. The same NICU Cassandra works in.
Working with babies wasn't always what Cassandra thought she would be doing but now she says she never wants to do anything else.
She used to work in the Milwaukee County Jail, a stark contrast to her current job which she started after Addie was born.
"I know exactly what the families need," Cassandra said. "I know what questions they'll have."
While Symone was at the hospital speaking with Cassandra, she met Rachel Cooper.
Rachel was in a hospital room with her son Chase. He was born 10 weeks early.
"I was admitted at 29 weeks," Rachel said. "We're ready to take him home and snuggle all the time."
Rachel said her first son Cooper was also born early. He had a hole in his heart. Although the second time around in the NICU was a little easier, it was still emotional.
Thankfully, Cooper has made it out of the NICU and is now at home with his family. Rachel has since even written a children's book.
"My mom and I recently wrote our first children’s book 'Teddy The Floof Makes New Friends.' Our book is a heartwarming tale that explores the challenges and joys of friendship through the eyes of a lovable dog. Our book is written to be extremely strategic for teaching a child how to make a friend and a great resource for parents to use!"
After Symone's first NICU story aired, other families reached out to share their stories.
As a woman who gave birth to her son over two months early, Symone can also relate. Hence the relatable emotion in Cassandra and Symone's conversation.
It became clear how many families have spent time in the hospital for long periods of time. When a woman named Susan Lamka learned about Karen and her NICU care packages, she emailed Symone.
Susan makes what she calls Angel Gowns for Angel Babies of Wisconsin, an organization that turns old wedding gowns into garments for premature babies at hospitals.
"I would like to get in touch with Karen from this story," Susan said in her email. "I have been making 'angel gowns' for preemies for years and would be willing to make hats/blankets/possibly gowns for these babies also if she is interested."
Susan told Symone she started making gowns when her marriage of 37 years ended. She was devastated and making little gowns helped her get through the tough days.
Angel Babies of Wisconsin was started by Kim Martens. Kim became a preemie mom with her first child. Her last baby spent a week at U-W Madison. He had surgery at 8 days old because his intestines were not attached to the wall. The day after surgery he stopped breathing.
"It was a rough week. While in the hospital, I was given a blanket from Project Linus. I was so grateful and couldn't believe people did this," Kim said. "I've always remembered that gesture and I want to share that kind gesture to families who desperately need it in their worst moments. So while I never lost a baby, watching my baby stop breathing was enough and I now have this passion for these families to know that we care for them."
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