SNOO Put These Parentsā Minds at Ease After Preterm Birth

In the middle of a cross-country military move, Rena Banes and her husband got a huge surpriseā¦their daughter came 11 weeks early, weighing just 1 pound 5 ounces upon her arrival.
At the time, the new mum and dad were both active-duty members of the Air Force living in Maryland, but were on the verge of moving to San Antonio, which meant Renaās daughter had medevacked to a hospital in the Banesā new hometown at just 2 weeks old.
'We hadnāt bought anything for the baby yet,' she says. 'It was an adventure. I can say that.'
That is when Rena first looked into SNOO. She was initially unsure if the price tag would be worth it, but because her daughter was so tiny and had had such a tumultuous start, Rena decided to use Happiest Babyās military discount and give it a shot.
'I was really nervous...She was a preemie and had trouble breathing. It gave me comfort knowing she was secure in SNOO,' Rena remembers.
After 54 days in the hospital, Renaās daughter came home.Ā
'She was the rock-star of the NICU. She fought to discharge early. She still is a fighter! Everything you say she canāt do, she does.'Ā
That is when Renaās daughter snoozed in SNOO for the first time. At first, Rena was skeptical of how quickly SNOO seemed to move, but she soon realised that the motion was just enough to calm her little one.
'Thanks to the NICU she was already on a schedule because theyāre stringent about how they do things. You think, how will I ever get on schedule, but SNOO added to our schedule. We just let her wake up on her own to eat.'
By 4 months Renaās daughter was sleeping six- to seven-hour stretches.
'We were like, this is the best thing since sliced bread,' Rena says.
But most importantly, SNOO helped ease some of Renaās anxiety leftover from her daughterās dramatic debut.Ā
'As a parent, you never know whatās going to happen. I liked being able to have that security that the baby is strapped in. And, at the same time, theyāre all snuggled up, they get that security of being held even though theyāre not,' she says.
'It really helped us out tremendously. I honestly wish everyone could have one.'
View more posts tagged, real stories
Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to help! Submit your questions here.