Marc and Catherine Middleton were excited to be expecting their second baby in late 2013. Catherine was still in the first trimester of her pregnancy when routine lab tests showed something could be wrong with the baby’s growth. The Middletons had similar lab results during their first pregnancy with daughter, Sophie, but she was delivered full-term. Doctors ordered Catherine to continue regular prenatal visits and increased the frequency of her sonograms so they could monitor the baby, but didn’t have immediate concerns. At 18 weeks, the Middletons learned their baby was a boy, who was growing well and all was going according to plan. Just 6 weeks later, baby’s growth had dropped dramatically and the medical team admitted Catherine to the hospital immediately. Doctors monitored both mom and baby closely for several days, and then sent Catherine home on bedrest with instructions to keep track of baby’s activity with kick counts. At 25 weeks, the baby’s movement stopped. Doctors found his heartbeat, but there was no movement. The Middletons were told their baby might be stillborn if he was not delivered immediately and they opted for an emergency C-section. On May 6, 2014, Deacon Middleton weighed just about a pound and was only a foot long when he was born. Deacon spent 90 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) growing and learning to breathe and eat on his own. The Middletons watched Deacon struggle for weeks before they could even hold him for the first time. They are thankful for the Surfactant therapy which helped Deacon’s immature lungs to breathe and for kangaroo care which allowed Deacon to have skin-to-skin contact with his parents to help him bond and grow stronger. These were made possible thanks to research and programs funded by March of Dimes. On August 4, 2014 Deacon left the hospital when he was 3 months old, still weighing less than 6 pounds. He went home with oxygen, a heart monitor, feeding supplements and therapies. Today he is a happy, healthy three-year-old who loves Ninja Turtles, dancing, swimming and following his big sister everywhere!