Heartwarming footage of parents screaming with joy after their children brought home their premature baby who spent 50 days in the NICU and left him on their doorsteps is going viral.
Ines and Sandro Lavalle’s son Gianni was born six weeks prematurely and faced developmental challenges with his breathing and swallowing.
Meanwhile, his grandparents, Sandro’s parents- Renato and Bernardina and Ines’ parents- Gianni and Marianna were waiting anxiously to see their new grandchild.
Gianni had been in the NICU for 50 days where he had bradycardia spells when for some time, he would stop breathing or his heart rate dropped. Doctors told the family he needed to have one week with no bradycardia spells in order to be allowed home.
Gianni would fight up to three, then four and five days with no bradycardia spells, but would then have a spell and they’d have to start the clock over again, according to his mother Inis. He was born on June 1, 2018, and finally was discharged from the NICU on July 21, 2018, a total of 50 days.
The couple stopped reporting his spells to his grandparents and decided to surprise them at their homes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The video shows the couple leaving the baby at the doorsteps of their parents’ homes, before stepping back to record their tear-jerking reactions.
It was a double surprise for granddad Gianni as he discovered his first grandchild was also named after him. Ines said: “We became frustrated with the constant setbacks, that we just stopped telling family members about his spells, remained positive and hoped for the best.”
“This was when my idea of surprising our parents came to fruition – it gave me something to look forward to. Watching them react from this perspective was exciting and overwhelming – we just took him home that day we hadn’t even gone home from the hospital yet.”
“We were so anxious to see their reactions as they were all anticipating that day whenever it may come – my father looked like he was about to pass out! I knew that for my parents Gianni and Marianna – who were becoming first-time grandparents – that going through this was hard on them so the joy on their faces was worth the planning behind their backs.”
“We also surprised my dad by naming our baby after him, so his connection was established. For baby Gianni’s paternal grandparents Renato and Bernardina this was their last grandchild – Gianni became the 6th – so when he came home, the family became complete.”
