Dabney's Baby Registry

LUCY UPDATE On Friday 10/16, Lucy will be 10 weeks old (35 week gestational age) and she’s now 4lbs 2oz. Last week she officially moved to her big girl crib since she’s been able to maintain her own body temperature! She’s also able to wear real clothes (although she’s still swimming in her size micro-preemie onesies).

She has miraculously graduated from being intubated and having 2 chest tubes, to a CPAP mask with no chest tubes, and now recently, just a high-flow nasal cannula. She’s much more comfortable and we can see her beautiful face! She is still on a feeding tube and will be for a while longer as she continues to grow. She loves her pacifier and has already begun practicing non-nutritive feeding (latching, but after Dabney has pumped so she isn’t getting any milk). The doctors and nurses are impressed with how quickly she is learning, and are hopeful she’ll do fine when she is ready to start eating on her own! Lucy is becoming more alert and opening her eyes, tracking movement and reacting to sounds. We are now able to take Lucy out of her crib on our own, change diapers, clean and dress her with no help from nurses, which is a huge change from the days of needing 6 nurses to move her.

While her care needs are requiring less people, Lucy is still a NICU favorite. Her room has become a popular hangout spot for several previous nurses, doctors, specialists and staff, who come by to see her (or talk with us about books, reality TV, fantasy football, or ask how Mackey is doing). There isn’t a timeline for when she will come home yet, but we are hoping it will be sometime before Christmas.

We are overwhelmingly grateful for all of the support, prayers and kind words that we’ve received. Being able to put our full focus on her (and our own recovery), has made all the difference. She still has a long way to go, and will still face many challenges, but we are so blessed knowing how many people love her and are praying for her. We make sure to tell her every day how loved she is and we can’t wait for everyone to eventually meet her!

The Stark Family

Friends and Family,

We can’t thank you enough for your continued prayers and support for Dabney and our family. As some of you may know, it hasn’t been an easy journey by any means. In early June, our girls were diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). Due to complications in the most recent of several surgeries, we are heartbroken to share that one of our babies passed away on 8/3. Shortly after, Dabney developed a scary infection and was rushed to Riley Children’s Hospital. Due to the significant risk to Dabney and the baby, our doctors made the difficult decision to induce labor at 25 weeks and 4 days. Lucy Eleanore Stark was born on 8/7 at 6:44 PM, 1lbs 8oz 12.25in. Our guardian angel, Scottie Eileen Stark was born at 6:48. Dabney made a quick recovery and Lucy took after her mothers bravery, strength, and fighting spirit. Lucy will likely spend several months in the NICU as she adapts to life outside of the womb and faces many risks and challenges along her journey because of her early arrival. Our Drs say she is doing well considering her age and her mom and dad couldn’t be more proud of the progress she has already made. While this wasn’t the journey we expected, we cannot thank our support system enough for giving us the courage, strength and shoulder to lean on while we navigate the complex emotions of loss and life. If you feel called to help our family, we have listed some items below to prepare for Lucy’s early arrival. No gift is too small, we graciously appreciate every prayer, kind word, and positive thought sent our way, just the same.

Love,