Word of mouth meant everything to Fernanda and Michael Noviello when it came to choosing the right hospital in which to welcome their first baby. Several friends had delivered little ones at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano and raved about the care they received. The high praise gave the Noviellos hope that their maternity journey would mean a similar experience. In the end, that would prove to be the case.
Fernanda’s pregnancy progressed as expected in the beginning. But toward the end of her second trimester, things took an unexpected turn. She began experiencing swelling and became very ill, beyond the normal discomforts of pregnancy. When her blood pressure rose to concerning levels, her doctor advised her to head immediately to the Labor & Delivery Unit at Texas Health Plano.
“When I walked in, they were already waiting for me,” Fernanda says. “They said the plan was to keep me there until 34 weeks. I was 26 weeks and five days. My blood pressure just kept going higher and higher and higher. They did everything they could to keep me pregnant.”
Baby Vincent had other plans and was born two days later. At just 13 inches long and weighing 1 pound, 14 ounces, he needed advanced care that the hospital’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was equipped to provide.
Vincent ended up needing three surgeries during his stay in the NICU. He had an obstruction in his stomach that initially required surgery. But it was the second surgery that was especially hard for the Noviellos because Vincent was so sick that he couldn’t be moved to an operating room for the procedure. Instead, the day of surgery Fernanda and Michael were met off the elevator on the NICU floor by a team of doctors, surgeons, and nurses on the medical staff who were prepared to operate right at Vincent’s bedside.
A month of complications followed, including a brain bleed and sepsis, but the couple kept faith as best they could. “We stayed close with the staff here, we lived here for almost five months,” Michael says. “I remember putting my hand in the isolette, and I remember Vince just holding on to my finger and squeezing it. I can’t explain it. Something in that moment felt like we’re going through it, we’re together, but we’re going to be alright.”
“One thing that was important for us was knowing that at Texas Health we were able to share our faith,” Fernanda adds. “It was very encouraging to us. Vincent has been a miracle; he’s been Vincent. That has changed our life.”
More Than Just a Place to Heal
After 132 days in intensive care, the Noviellos finally had their son home with them. Although they know their miracle boy still has a long journey ahead, he has the warrior spirit in him to overcome challenges.
“I feel very, very positive about the knowledge that I gained here, about the medical care he received here. I feel very positive about the future outlook both because of what they taught Fernanda and I on how to care for Vince and then also the medical treatment he received here. Vince is thriving and I truly don’t believe he would be thriving the way he is now had he not been at this level of a NICU at Texas Health Plano. I think the future is very bright… It’s because of [them] that my son is thriving,” Michael says.
In looking back on their NICU experience, Fernanda also remembers the unit as being more than just a place within the hospital. She writes: “It was a place where we witnessed resilience, both in our son and in ourselves. It was where we learned to celebrate every milestone, no matter how small, and where we saw firsthand that miracles do happen. Today, the NICU represents a chapter in our story that shaped us in ways we never expected. It reminded us of the power of hope, the strength of love, and the reality that with God nothing is impossible.”
Learn about maternity services at Texas Health Plano.