Meet 'Phillie Millie,' the NICU baby with a Philadelphia fightin' spirit
The newborn has been in the NICU at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery for six weeks.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "You have a baby that's an underdog and we have a sports team that's the underdog and then boom, they align together," said Kaitlyn Weidamoyer.
Earlier this year, Weidamoyer and her husband were preparing to have their third and last child. However, Emilia came early at just 29 weeks and one day old.
"She was two pounds three ounces at birth," said Weidamoyer. "And she actually had a level three brain hemorrhage and she's on oxygen."
The newborn has been in the NICU at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery for six weeks. Only Weidamoyer and her husband are able to visit.
"You get to a point where you know, there's nothing you can really do for your child at that time and you're just sitting in a room alone," she said. "It was watching the Phillies win that helped us get through it."
Weidamoyer remembers watching the Phillies postseason games on her phone and even propping up the device so Emilia could watch. The night the team clinched the NLCS, she shouted out, "Phillie Millie!" in excitement. The name stuck.
"The nurses provided a little baseball blanket, which I thought was really sweet of them," she said. "And one of the nurses had her sister make a little Phillies onesie for Millie."
Fully decked in baseball gear, Phillie Millie was ready to fight alongside the Fightin's.
"She started gaining weight consistently and that's when we were winning consistently," said Weidamoyer. "Her oxygen started getting better. She's regulating her body temperatures. And actually, her brain hemorrhage is starting to go away on its own."
While the family is hoping for a parade down Broad Street, they are most importantly looking forward to the day that Millie comes home. Hopefully, that will be by the end of November.
"I can't wait to, you know, have our family be completed and fully together," said Weidamoyer. "And you know, have her with her big brother and big sister."
Once that day comes, the family will be united in Phillies fandom for life.
"You know, the heartache, the happiness, everything, watching these sports teams, they get you through tough times," said Weidamoyer. "So, it's more than a sport. It's almost like a family."
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