The Xiong Family

My name is Nou Vang Xiong, I have a daughter name Peyton who is 3, a dog name Chowchi who is 7 and a new baby boy name Lionel who is 27 weeks and currently in the NICU. I am married to a Marine, Thong Xiong, who served 4 years active duty. Currently I am a student, taking the semester off for pregnancy, studying in Medical Office Assistant at Fox Valley Technical College. We just recently bought a house summer of 2020 and beginning our new journey. The past few months have been rough as we found out that our son might be coming sooner than expected. His due date was originally May 13th but he decided to come on January 28th at 5:30am. He was only 25 weeks when he was born. On December 21st I went in to get our baby's gender ultrasound and see how he was doing. We got news that I needed emergency surgery to put a Cerclage in as my uterus was thinning. A month later during our routine checkup on January 14th, we were admitted into Labor and delivery and would be on bed rest until baby was born. I ended up having a C-Section done and was hospitalized for another 4 days. Throughout this entirety, I was not able to see my 3 year old daughter, who stayed with her aunty, because of COVID restrictions. It has taken a toll on not only myself and my new son, but the entire family as well. My husband had to work, stay with me and make time for our daughter all in a days work. We are blessed that Lionel is doing great at 2lbs and 13inches. He will be in the NICU until his original due date. We pray for a speedy and healthy process for him.