Piedmont Newton held fundraisers in 2024 to upgrade its neonatal intensive care unit. Ryan and Jalissa Kori were among the first to experience the benefits with premature daughter Khamille.
After a normal pregnancy and delivery with their first child, Kolton, Ryan and Jalissa Kori expected a similar experience with their second baby. However, just as every child is different, so too is every pregnancy and delivery. Jalissa began having contractions 11 weeks before her May 25 due date. Doctors hoped to delay the birth until she was 36 weeks along, so they admitted her to Piedmont Newton for the remainder of her pregnancy. After only a week of fighting preterm labor, it was evident that Khamille was not able to wait.
“‘NICU’ was a big, scary acronym,” Jalissa said. “You don’t expect to have the baby that early.” The neonatal team welcomed questions and quickly addressed the Koris’ fears. “The Piedmont Newton staff was phenomenal, start to finish. As a mom going through it for the first time, the initial NICU consultation days before delivery put us at ease. We were able to put faces with what was about to happen. They gave us the rundown of what to expect at each stage, giving us the best expectations for each situation but also preparing us for the worst.”
According to a 2024 Piedmont news release, having a Level 3 NICU in Newton County makes a difficult time easier for new parents by providing critical care closer to home. Previously, parents delivering at Newton would have to travel to Atlanta for premature infants to receive advanced care.
“This change in designation shows that the facility and staff are equipped to care for newborns who need one of the highest levels of medical care and intervention,” the release said. “This care might include advanced life support, a full range of respiratory support and advanced imaging. Level 3 NICU care is typically needed by babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy.”
“The experience shows you a new strength, a side of yourself you didn’t know you had.”
Jalissa Kori
Khamille Rose entered the world 10 weeks early on March 16, weighing three pounds, 1.2 ounces. She measured just 15 inches long.
“At the time, she was the smallest baby in the NICU. Her hand looked so tiny compared to my pinkie finger,” Jalissa said. The NICU staff had prepared the Koris, so they knew they would not be able to hold their daughter for at least her first week of life. “They explained to us that once she was out, the doctor would hold her up so we could see her face, and then they would immediately take her to stabilize her breathing. It hurt to hear that. You never want to have that experience, but we knew what to expect at the delivery.”
The staff also prepared them for the first week of life in the NICU.
“They told us they had to keep her on low stimulus to avoid brain bleeds,” Jalissa said. “The nurses keep the babies flat on their backs and only touch them every three hours for diaper changes and temperature checks.” The Koris were coached on how to touch Khamille when they were finally able to put their hands into her isolette. Though they were tempted to stroke their baby’s cheeks gently, they learned that light touch would startle her. “The nurses said that preemies like firm touch because it helps them feel safe or confined, like in the womb,” Jalissa said, “so we put gentle pressure on her feet and the top of her head. It was good to know that before touching her.”
After the first week, the Koris were allowed to change Khamille’s diapers and take her temperature.
“I was terrified by how tiny she was the first time I changed her, and then holding her?” Jalissa said. “She was so little.” The staff encouraged the Koris to spend as much time as possible at the NICU, promoting bonding through feedings and skin-to-skin contact. Jalissa settled into a routine of dropping 6-year-old Kolton off at school and then staying with Khamille from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. “The nurses were very accessible,” she said. “They welcomed us to call or text the charge nurse’s cell phone for updates anytime. The NICU manager checked on me every day and asked if I was resting and if I had snacks. If they had to explain when a monitor went off, they did it reassuringly, like, ‘Oh, she’s fine. Her oxygen just dropped a little.’ They did everything they could to make it not so scary for us. You could tell they were happy to be at work, and they loved what they did.”
The six-plus weeks in the NICU were an emotional time for Ryan and Jalissa, as they had to spread their time between their two children at two locations.
“The experience shows you a new strength, a side of yourself you didn’t know you had. All I could do was pray and be present when they needed me the most,” Jalissa said. “I can’t imagine if I had to drive an hour each way to be with my baby. You never want to need the NICU, but for us, it was the best situation it could have been.” Such words are music to the ears of Lisa Rowe, clinical manager of the NICU at Piedmont Newton. “We are so glad we could offer the care this baby needed close to home for her family,” Rowe said. “When she had to stay behind in the NICU, her parents were able to visit frequently, even with an older sibling back at home. That’s the positive difference of having Level 3 neonatal intensive care right here in our community.”
After 44 days in the NICU, Khamille was big enough to go home. That was also an emotional time for Jalissa, as the staff had become like family to her.
“They asked me what they were going to do without her being there anymore,” she said. However, Khamille needed to meet another important person in her life: big brother Kolton. Jalissa admitted that Kolton having to wait so long was one of the most challenging aspects of the NICU experience. “No one under age 18 is allowed in the NICU,” she said. “We would FaceTime, and I showed him pictures, but he couldn’t wait to meet her.”
The Koris brought Khamille home on a Monday.
“We didn’t tell Kolton. We wanted it to be a genuine surprise,” Jalissa said. “My in-laws brought him home from school, and the look on his face when he saw her was worth everything. He immediately washed his hands so he could hold her. He still wants to hold her all the time and helps with everything. Seeing how they are together is so beautiful.”
Click here to read more stories by Kari Apted.
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