NICU baby heading home just in time for Father's Day

BOSTON — A local family will have a new reason to celebrate this Father’s Day.

For the last 45 days, the Casts have lived in a hospital with their son who was born eight weeks premature.
              
"We've been here for 45 days now," said Megan Cast.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Brigham And Women’s Hospital has been Megan and Josh's home since May 2, when their son Archer came into the world eight weeks early.

“It’s hard to describe it to somebody who hasn’t gone through it,” said Josh Cast.

Like all preemies, Archer was small, weighing only four pounds. Pictures of his first days on earth are heartbreaking.

“Seeing him on an oxygen machine, definitely the first day seeing him in an incubator, not being able to touch your baby whenever you want,” said Megan.

The N.I.C.U. At Brigham And Women’s treats around a thousand babies a year, many of them born well before their due date. Doctor Simon Manning says science has come a long way. Today, babies like Archer who are born two months early are as likely to survive as a full-term infant, doctors still don’t know what causes most premature births.

“For the most part we’re still doing a lot of research to find why most babies are born early,” Dr. Simon Manning.

Since his arrival, Archer has never left the hospital and has been hooked up to machines the entire time.

But the couple believes they’ll be leaving very soon.

“I think that unplugging him for the last time, not having him on all these monitors will be pretty crazy. It’s strange to think he’s only seen the Brigham,” said Megan.

They’ve been told they may be able to cut the final cord and take Archer home on Sunday, Father’s Day.

“Father’s Day is a pretty big one. So hopefully we’re going to be able to sit by the T.V., maybe watch a little U.S. Open. Have some lunch,” said Josh.

“Maybe,” said Megan.

“Maybe, maybe. If she lets me,” said Josh with a laugh.

Cox Media Group