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First-Time Mom of Preemie Thankful for Growing Boy

Baby Born at Floyd Medical Center's NICU Doing Well

First-Time Mom of Preemie Thankful for Growing Boy

ROME, GA, May 6, 2022 – Mother's Day will never feel the same for Jessica Marcellini.

The Cedartown mom gave birth to her first child, Michael Anthony Marcellini Jr. on Feb. 23. Little Michael came early and tipped the scales at only 3 pounds, 4 ounces at 31 weeks, but the staff at Floyd Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provided the care he needed, she said.

Ms. Marcellini said her son now weighs 10 pounds and is doing well. "It really blows my mind," she said. "It seems like every day he changes a little bit. I can't believe how big he is now."

She expressed gratitude for the treatment Michael received in the NICU.

"We received such excellent care there," she said. “The staff, everyone, they become like family. Some of them are now my Facebook friends. They really spend so much time explaining things and making sure you understand. We learned so many things and it's not like they just send you home with no help."

She said the care she felt from the NICU staff was endearing. "In some ways we were kind of sad to go. Yes, we were very glad to be going home, but I really knew that I was going to miss them."

Floyd Medical Center has the only Level III NICU in northwest Georgia, providing babies with specialized care, including breathing support, food and nutrition, and temperature support and regulation.

NICU's discharge planning coordinator works with families to make sure the transition to home goes smoothly, gradually preparing them.

Generally, babies in the NICU can go home when they:

  • Maintain their body temperature in a bassinet
  • Breathe on their own
  • Nurse or feed from a bottle
  • Consistently gain weight
  • Are in stable medical condition

Ms. Marcellini said she is also grateful for the AngelEye Health cameras installed at the babies' bedsides in the NICU. The cameras allow moms and dads to peek in on their little ones remotely.

"That was really comforting to know we could look in on him even when we couldn't be there," she said. "It was also good for grandparents who were waiting to see the new baby."

She said the way she feels about her little one is somewhat surprising, even thought she loved him even before he was born.

"I heard people talk about that connection, how special a mother's love is for her child. I thought I understood it, but there is nothing like that feeling once you give birth."

About Atrium Health Floyd

The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.