If there's one thing that's true about parents of premature babies, it's that they never forget their experience.
"This was the first picture that I ever got of my son," Karen Kroes said, holding up a snapshot. "You really feel helpless.".
Karen is a mom to her 12-year-old son Jay. Although it has been over a decade since she gave birth, it still feels like yesterday.
"I was scared," Karen said. "He was born at 9 pm. I met him at about 6:30 in the morning."
Karen had a placenta abruption that led to an infection and an emergency cesarean section at 27 weeks. She was just shy of being six months pregnant.
Her holidays were spent in the hospital. Jay was in the neonatal intensive care unit
for 72 days. His due date was in February. He was born in November.
"You stop and think this is where we came from and it's amazing," Karen said as she looked at photos of her son.
TMJ4 anchor Symone Woolridge can relate. She too had her son prematurely. He arrived two and a half months before his due date.
"I know how it is. Every milestone is important," Symone said. "Your baby's weight might say 2 lbs, 10.7 oz. And the next day might be 2 lbs 10.9, and the next you're like, I made it to 2 lbs 11 oz, yes! We are getting there! It's just the little things that make a difference."
After weighing only 2 lbs 4.8 oz at birth, Karen's son Jay is thriving. So much so, that he helps his mom in more ways than he might even realize.
"He's my package sidekick and has been for many years."
Karen works at UW Milwaukee during the day but when she comes home, she makes care packages for parents and families of premature babies. Jay helps her deliver them to hospitals.
The package includes NICU glossaries, preemie clothing, books for the baby's siblings, and milestone markers.
"This is what I wished I'd had in the NICU," Karen said.
Karen created an organization called Preemie Power of Wisconsin. Its mission is to show families they're not alone. Karen was able to take a year off of work when her son started school a few years ago and that's when she came up with the idea to help families in what could be the most difficult time of their life.
"You have this expectation in your mind of what your birth is going to look like, and you imagine that a certain type of way, and then it's totally unexpected and you're not prepared for that," new mom Lynne Carlson said. "No one is ever prepared for that. So for me I had to kind of grieve that which is interesting."
Lynne received one of the care packages for her son Harrison. He was born 9 1/2 weeks early at 30 weeks and four days. She didn't get to hold him until he was a week old.
"I was getting up and getting ready to go to work that day and I just was feeling kind of off and next thing I know I was having contractions every five minutes. She said, you're 8 centimeters, you're having this baby today. So it was very fast, very scary."
In a time of feeling isolated, Lynne said this organization made her feel included.
Watch: Delivering care packages and hope to the NICU.
"To know that you're not alone when it does feel very alone, is so meaningful. I didn't know about the package until it showed up in the NICU. We just went to visit him one day and there was a package there, it was addressed to him. I opened it up and it had all these resources in there for him and my cousin had it sent to us. She has a daughter who was born prematurely as well so she knew about the group and had it sent to us."
That's how business typically runs for Preemie Power of Wisconsin. Loved ones reach out to Karen, listing brief information about the child like their gender and size.
"We find out the weight of the baby and then we send an appropriately sized little outfit."
Karen's work means so much to her. And with Jay's help, it truly feels like a full circle moment.
"This was just yesterday," Karen said as she showed a photo of Jay. "We sent that to the family of a 30 weeker in Waukesha."
Along with the items in the package, Karen sends families a personal note. It's just another gesture to let them know everything will be okay.
"You're in the best place you can possibly be, hang in there, you'll get out (i promise)," Karen said as she read one of her notes.
Symone asked Lynne if she could read her note.
"Welcome baby Harrison. I know this is not where you wanted to start your journey but rest assured you are in great hands. Leah let us know you are here and wanted to share some of our NICU staples to help get you through. Hang in there and never underestimate the power of a preemie. Sincerely, the mother of a former 27 weeker."
"How do you feel when you're able to send these off, or drop them off. What is that feeling like?," Symone asked Karen.
"It's really— it's good. I feel like these are things that I could've used and i'm hopeful that it helps people in the NICU. I decided when he was real little that i didn't want prematurity to define him, us, but it kind of does. We've successfully navigated that, and i want him to be thankful for that as well, that we didn't do this by ourselves. There were preemies before us and there are preemies after, and dedicated hospital staff and nurses and doctors."
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