1-pound baby known as "Fighting Finn" is finally home after 113 days in the NICU
"Fighting Finn" Hill is not a boxer, but he has immeasurable strength that would impress any heavyweight champ. Fighting Finn is about four months old and when he was born, he weighed barely a pound. The preemie spent over 100 days in the NICU at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando – and after a long battle, he's finally coming home.
Finn's parents, Jessica and Chris Hill, posted a video of their tiny son on Facebook the day he finally left the hospital. He wore a Georgia Bulldogs gear and boxing gloves. Finn was a vision of strength – but the journey up until that point was not easy.
In fact, the Hill family's journey wasn't easy even before Finn was brought into the world. The couple struggled with infertility for "nine long emotional years," according to a GoFundMe page dedicated to their family.
They almost gave up, then found a new option: Adopting an embryo. They adopted two embryos from a family and transferred them on December 19th, 2018. Though they lost one of the babies' heartbeats, Jessica soon became pregnant with a son.
Throughout her miracle pregnancy, Jessica dealt with a worrisome large blood clot. Her water broke unexpectedly on May 21 and she gave birth to her extremely premature son.
Finn was brought into the world at 7:36 p.m. – weighing only 1 lb and 2 oz. He was born at just at 24 weeks and 4 days. His footprints were smaller than a penny and he had a compromised immune system.
But Finn was a fighter. His parents even created a Facebook page "Fighting Finn" to keep friends and relatives updated on his progress. The Hills captured miraculous milestones — like the first time Finn opened his eyes — and a surgery to close a hole in his heart.
It was a slow and steady race, but Finn finally won on September 10 when, after 113 days in the NICU, he was able to go home. Finn already has his first doctor's appointment and his mom says his checkup went great.
The "Fighting Finn" Facebook page continues to be updated with news about the Hill's son. His recent hurdle: acid reflux. But that's common for babies, so it seems like the worst may be behind him.
