by ELC
I always wanted a little girl and even tho it wasn’t a planned pregnancy we found out we were pregnant again with a girl just a little after our son turned 8 months old.
It was a seemingly normal pregnancy till our anatomy scan at 21 weeks. We were so excited but it quickly turned to fear. The ultrasound tech got a worried look on her face and I asked if something was wrong with our baby. She responded yes, I can’t find her right lung. I believe she has
Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (CCAM) She sent in for the doctor who said the same thing.
They sent us to a high risk specialist who gave us even worse news. They said it wasn’t CCAM but Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). She had a hole in her diaphragm which was allowing for her lower organs to migrate into her chest and her lungs weren’t growing.
We were strongly advised to abort. We were devastated.We don’t believe in abortion and decided that we would do whatever we could to give her the best chance at a normal life. After lots of research we went to Vanderbilt in Nashville and they confirmed she had both CCAM and CDH and said she had less than 10% chance of survival and advised abortion before we can’t legally but we were not giving up.
We found the number 1 specialist in the world for CDH, made an appointment and flew to St Petersburg FL. After lots of scans and tests he told us she would not only have a 90% chance of survival with him but would have a high quality of life. Right then the decision was made.
We were moving in just a few weeks to be in his care. Knowing we wouldn’t be able to hold her for a while I took to the internet looking for something to comfort her that was safe in the NICU and I came across The Zaky HUGs.
It was a no brainer. We made the decision from the beginning to give her the best life possible and I truly believed these would help do just that. We got a pair so she would have her dads scent and mine. When she was born she wasn’t breathing. It took them a while to get her intubated and stable.
She had her repair surgery at 18 hours old and was on a heart lung bypass machine. As soon as she came off that machine at 6 days old she got her Zaky HUGs.
She instantly calmed when they were placed around her cradling her butt and head. She improved everyday and I honestly feel it was because she had us “holding” her. She was expected to be in the hospital 6 months but was discharged after 42 days.
Thanks to Jehovah God, Dr. Kays, Tiny Hero and The Zaky HUGs we have our beautiful daughter.
We couldn’t have done it without them all.
This is my favorite of her in the hospital. She always slept so peacefully with them. |
She is wonderful. She is 2 now 🙂
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]]>I am the proud grandmother of a surprise, very early birth of a first grandchild in Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital in Australia.
Born at 23 weeks, this new earthling took the parents by surprise and created great challenges. In the bustle of the new situation the baby was gifted a blue The Zaky HUG.
As an onlooking grandma I was greatly moved by this action. I had never heard of The Zaky. The donors, who had fundraised and donated quite a number of them, had had a premature baby that had not survived.
When you are thrown into the very demanding reality of having a premature baby in intensive care such a gesture feels immensely supportive and gives strength.
For my grandchild and its parents The Zaky HUG has been a wonderfully reassuring and nurturing part during these first, delicate months.
This is why I decided to create some funds by selling my own hand crafted items and purchase more of The Zakys and gift this gift forward to let more premature babies benefit.
In a time where everything was scary and foreign, the Zaky ZAK allowed my husband and I to experience a meaningful connection with our daughter through kangaroo care and create a bond in those moments of cuddling even though we weren't able to bring her home or even pick her up without assistance.
The Zaky ZAK fits comfortably around us and helps contain all the cords and wires that come along with a NICU stay.
Right now our little girl is thriving and gaining weight. We give lots of credit to the kangaroo care that the three of us enjoy so much.
Thank you for creating The Zaky ZAK, a product that helps us build that
connection while feeling secure holding our most precious gift!
Thank you!
Jessie
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
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Boet was born on a Friday at 27+3 weeks gestation after a CTG showed decelerations in his heart rate. He was born with the cord triple around his neck. He weighted a whopping 689grams and was 30.6cm tall. He came out fighting and kept doing this his whole life. Initially things were going ok although he needed the ventilator to help him breath however after a few weeks it became clear that his lungs were struggling. He was transferred from the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, where he was born, to the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) here in Melbourne and was put on a jet ventilator specifically good for premmies with bad lungs.
It was at RCH that one day I walked in and I saw this big green hand lying in his cot. He was still on the ventilator back then and the hand was used to help position and settle him. Boet had a feisty character and whilst he was tiny he had a big personality. No matter how sick he was or what level of support he required, he found ways to communicate. Even whilst ventilated, not being able to use his voice, he would be by upping his blood pressure, desaturating, have thumping heart rates and high body temperature to show he was not happy. And when he wasn’t ventilated you could hear him through the corridors, doing a scream-off with other babies in the room. The big green Zaky hand quickly became very pivotal in Boet’s care and was always with him. And it was clear that for Boet, having The Zaky HUG giving him support and comfort, helped him greatly to be way less agitated.
One of the most traumatic events as a parent with a baby in hospital is leaving him behind each and every day. The Zaky not only helped Boet but it helped us as well,
One of the most traumatic events as a parent with a baby in hospital is leaving him behind each and every day. The Zaky not only helped Boet but it helped us as well, it was a great tool to help him settle and it smelled like us and home. When he was tiny it would fit around his whole body and when he was older and bigger it was used on his bum, belly or as a toy.
Unfortunately, after an 8.5-month battle in NICU our little hero and superstar passed away. His Zaky has a significant spot on his table. To honour and commemorate him we organised a fundraiser.
With the funds raised we are buying things to help babies and their families in hospital. We are super proud that, with Yamile and Zachary's The Zaky Cares Program, we were able to donate 33 Zaky HUGs to RCH and pay it forward!
Leave your comments below!
I am Marijn (37), mum of 3 beautiful kids: Caat (7), Eef (5) and Boet (forever 8.5 months). We are originally from The Netherlands but moved to Australia almost 10 years ago. So where we still speak English with a Dutch accent, our girls speak Dutch with a proper Ozzie accent. My husband and I both work as management consultants here in Melbourne however since Boet’s birth and passing I have been focusing on our family. For our family, I wish that after everything that’s happened we can find positivity and a purpose to help, support and love other families that go through the greatest adversity ever imaginable, losing a child. |
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Daddy brought a special present for me. He moved mountains to get special The Zakys HUGs for me, all the way from the US of A (from a village called Sugar Land) .
With extreme expedited delivery, he managed the customs declarations and change of delivery straight to my room.
The left hand is Daddy (he's a lefty ;-), the right hand is Mommy's. First they wore it on them for more than an hour, so now I can smell them in my little house all time :-)
When I sleep I can feel their warmth through the soft hands, the hands support me and make me very comfortable. It makes me sleep like a baby :-)
(more info on the Zaky: https://www.thezaky.com)
My daughter received The Zaky HUG as a gift from her primary NICU nurse the day she was discharged (graduation).
She was a 24 weeker and got used to having it in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Tx
She is still obsessed with it almost two years later. She sleeps with it every night and won’t sleep without it.
She likes to suck on the fingers while she sleeps. We are so grateful to be introduced to your product.
Thank you!
Nicole Tenney
Splendora, Texas
]]>Phillip and Melissa, Texas USA
]]>Nurtured by Design – Family for life
We are forever grateful to Yamile for her passion, spirit, and interest in helping families get through some of life’s toughest situations. Yamile learned of our story through a rep she met at a trade show the week our daughter was born with a rare congenital heart defect. After hearing our story, Yamile sent us a pair of The Zaky hands with a very sweet, personal note. Over the past years, we have become friends through email and stay apprised of each others’ family stories. In fact, upon learning Cameron was headed back to surgery at 5 months old Yamile’s son, Zachary, wrote and sent Cameron a get- well card.
The Zaky HUG – Friend for life
We’ve grown up with The Zaky! Our daughter has come to rely on The Zaky HUG both inside and outside the hospital. Cameron has had six hospital stays since birth and The Zaky HUG has been by her side each time. She sleeps with her pair of The Zakys every night and we always bring them with us when traveling. Her The Zakys are so important they have been dubbed her “Nigh Nigh hands” and have earned a note in Cameron’s baby book: I had the The Zaky Hands (lime color) to help me get to sleep every naptime and night.
Thank you Nurtured by Design!
We are your friends for life!
Fondly,
The Van Poppelen Family”
Cameron (DOB 7/8/11) was in CTICU at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. 7 weeks – July – August 2011
5 weeks – Dec – January 2011
1 week – May 2014
Other hospital visits:
2 nights Torrance Memorial Medical Center Oct 2012 1 day outpatient at CHLA April 2014
Travels: The Zaky goes with us on all of our overnight excursions and long day trips. You will see some of the photos reflect this.
Nighttime: Cameron sleeps with her Zaky’s nightly and during naps. She calls them her “nigh nigh hands.”
He fought hard for every breath he took and every gram he gained. Slowly but surely he got stronger and grew bigger.
We tried to be there for every step of the way, doing everything we could to try and bring him love and comfort, but born that little there isn’t much you are able to do besides talk to them the first few weeks.
Their skin is so thin and their senses so overwhelmed that ever touch is overwhelming. The absolute hardest part of my days (even bad ones) was having to leave his side at night.
The walk down to the car seemed ten times longer than the walk up in the mornings. Having been strong for him all day long, the evening trek often ended in tears as I recounted the days events which were always a roller coaster (especially in the early months).
Seeing how hard their little lives are in the beginning, you do everything you can to bring them any comfort. One thing our NICU had seemed to work well for our little one and that was The Zaky.
The way they could be positioned to do gentle holds making him feel safe and cradled calmed him. It was one of the only things that made leaving him at night any easier, but there weren’t enough to go around so I was so thankful when our nurses were able to snag them for us.
When using them we’d get him all tucked in and cuddled and he just snuggle into them and drift to sleep. When thinking about his first birthday and wanting to give back to our NICU we reached out to company who makes The Zakys, help us donate to our NICU in an effort to ensure each baby had the same comforts our little one did.
We also wanted to do what we could to make the parents journey a little easier as well since it’s not an easy road to follow. I’m so thankful that a product like this exists and is made by such a great founder and company.
Kally, Ben, and Mason Kohl
Look at him in 2018:
Thank you.
Liba
]]>Thank you and Many Blessings! Jennifer Emerson
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