Atleigh’s Journey: A Preemie’s Fight

At 22 weeks, about the time a mother typically begins to feel a baby move during pregnancy, Ashton Neesmith suddenly felt her water break. Unsure what to do or what it meant, Ashton rushed to the hospital.

From there, Ashton was transferred to Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and was cared for in the Family Birth Center until her daughter, Atleigh, was born at 24 weeks’ gestation on July 26, 2023, weighing in at 1 pound, 5 ounces, and measuring 11 inches long.

“Atleigh was beautiful and feisty from the beginning,” said Ashton. “Early on she dropped under a pound and required a ventilator. But even though she was so small, she pulled at her tubes and that was when we knew she was a fighter.”

Tiny Atleigh was admitted to the level III neonatal intensive care unit (NNICU) at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital where a team of board-certified neonatologists and a skilled, compassionate nursing team helped her in her early weeks of life. Although she didn’t need any procedures, specialized equipment and an attentive care team helped Atleigh gain weight and grow safely with a little extra TLC.

As the only dedicated pediatric facility in central and south Georgia, Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital serves young patients like Atleigh from north of Macon to the Florida state line and west toward Alabama. It is a is a lifeline for rural families like the Neesmiths who lived in Lyons, about 100 miles southeast of Macon when Atleigh was born. The family now resides in Tennessee.

“The nurses were incredible and made everything special for us. I even had a nurse that journaled from Atleigh’s point of view and kept track of her growth,” said Ashton. “It’s something I will always treasure! I often find myself reading it just to remember how far she has come.”

From July to November, Ashton stayed close by and leaned on the nursing staff to partner with her as she cared for her child faraway from friends and family. Atleigh had an adoring older brother waiting for her to come home too. Counting the days until his sister would return, Sawyer began in mid-October saying his little sister was coming home on Nov. 18. The family had no idea where her brother had gotten this date; they were just excited he was so thrilled to have a baby sister. Imagine their surprise when the family was told Atleigh would be discharged on that very day, Nov. 18.

“To this day, we have no clue how he knew,” said Ashton. Today, Atleigh is an active 2-year-old who loves to dance, laugh and make others laugh in turn. This summer, she learned to swim, and, more than just about anything in the world, Atleigh loves cows.

“She would spend every moment outside if she could,” said Ashton. “It’s hard to believe our little sunshine spent nearly four months in the NICU. We are forever grateful for the wonderful nurses who took care of her at the Family Birth Center. She is a miracle.”

Prematurity Awareness Month is observed each November and is an opportunity to raise awareness for the 1 in 10 preterm babies born in the U.S. each year. This November join Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital in honoring families like Ashton’s who have faced the challenges of preterm birth with strength, hope and love. Her story is a powerful reminder of how vital access to advanced neonatal care is, especially for families in rural communities, where local hospitals may not have the resources to care for premature or critically ill newborns.

Support the tiniest fighters, the incredible teams who care for them and learn more about the NICU services that make stories like Atleigh’s possible.