Erica and Jarred Pruitt experienced every expecting parent's nightmare: complications during pregnancy leading up to an emergency C-section. At just 26 weeks, their son Walker was born – that's a whopping 14 weeks premature! Little Walker weighed only 1 lb 3 oz's and was rushed into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston Salem, North Carolina. According to the nurses, Walker wasn't just considered a preemie – he was a micro-preemie. This is Walker's story…be sure to scroll all the way to the end for the miraculous time-lapse VIDEO!!!
At only 1 lb 3 oz, little Walker had to be kept in an incubator at almost all times.
Doctors were very worried about his abilities to thrive since he was delivered so very early. Every day a mom is pregnant increases the chance of baby's survival.
Below is a photo of Mommy Erica meeting Walker for the first time. He filled her heart with joy, but she was so very concerned about his well-being. Micro-preemies are incredibly fragile!
In spite of the tubes, Walker managed to look perfectly adorable.
Slowly but surely, Walker pulled through. Soon he was wearing tiny baby clothes, and slept in a real crib rather than an incubator!
After 80 days in the NICU, Walker was FINALLY allowed to go home with Mommy and Daddy. While incredibly stressful, watching Walker grow from a 1 lb 3 oz micro-preemie to a regular sized infant was one of the most magical experiences of the Pruett's life!
A charity called Capturing Hopes Photography was on hand to document the magic of Walker's transformation from micro-preemie to infant. Every day, volunteer photographers came in and took a beautiful professional photo of Walker. Photographer Bryan founded the organization because she lost her micro-preemie and had only one photo from the NICU to remember her baby. We're inspired by her ability to turn tragedy into something so wonderful for other moms – and we're happy to report little Walker Colt Pruett is doing well!
Below, watch a time-lapse video of Walker's INCREDIBLE transformation!
