From Fragile Beginnings: How The Children’s SPOT Helped a NICU Baby Thrive

Kirsti Millar, a 35-year-old of Kansas City, was 23 weeks pregnant with her second child in early 2023 when her water suddenly broke. What should have been a season of joy and anticipation became a medical emergency.

“It was a complete shock,” Kirsti says. “I had no idea what would happen to me or my baby.”

Kirsti was rushed to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, where Saint Luke’s Hospital Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists moved quickly to stabilize her and assess the baby’s condition. Together, they developed a plan: Kirsti would stay in the hospital for as long as possible to give her baby the chance to grow stronger until her delivery date.

“I knew it would mean being away from my husband and daughter,” Kirsti says. “But the way I saw it, my daughter grew in a healthy, happy womb—my son deserved no different.”

For 11 long weeks, Kirsti remained in the hospital. She was fortunate to continue working remotely, giving much-needed structure to her days. She lived for Tuesdays each week, when imaging allowed her to see her baby. As the days grew longer, Kirsti’s care team answered her questions, offered their encouragement, and reminded her that every day mattered.

In early May, Kirsti was 34 weeks pregnant and given the all-clear to schedule a cesarean section. She gave birth to her son, Olson, on May 5, 2023. Olson was born in a breeched position with his right leg bent toward his ear, a rare and potentially serious condition that sent him to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“Immediately after he was born, there were so many unknowns,” Kirsti says. “Will he walk? Will he crawl? You just start running through every possibility.”

It was during Olson’s time in the NICU that Kirsti first engaged with Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City The Children’s SPOT, which provides early and intensive rehabilitative therapy for children. Kirsti met with two occupational therapists, Marcy Riedel and Alex Goossen Gradoville, who explained Olson’s condition and his therapy needs.

“Marcy and Alex were our saviors in those initial moments,” Kirsti says. “They were so knowledgeable and reassuring. I knew they had Olson’s best interests at heart.”

At only 3 days old, Olson was working with the SPOT team to lay on his belly. Marcy and Alex also developed personalized physical therapies and developmental massages to gently stretch Olson’s arms and legs and increase his movement each day. They also supported both Olson and Kirsti to learn safe and effective feeding techniques. Over the 27 days Olson spent in the NICU, Marcy and Alex saw clear improvements in his mobility and continued to champion his care after discharge.

“They were committed to doing everything they possibly could for my child,” Kirsti says. “When we were discharged, they continued to check on him at the Neonatal Development Follow Up Clinic at The Children’s SPOT. I could tell they had so much love for him and wanted to see him succeed.”

Today, Olson is a happy, healthy 2-year-old. When he took his first steps at 18 months old—steps that once seemed like a distant hope—Kirsti sent a video to Marcy and Alex to celebrate.

“It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am,” Kirsti says. “To have someone care that much about your child—to treat them like their own child—it’s genuinely heartwarming.”

Established in 1980 at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, The Children’s SPOT (Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy) provides early and intensive rehabilitative therapy for infants through school-age children. The dedicated therapists at The Children’s SPOT are all working toward one goal—to help children reach their highest level of functional ability and success in the environments where they live, learn, and play.

Visit The Children's SPOT to learn more about Saint Luke's pediatric rehabilitative therapy.