Tiny Preemie Who Captured Hearts Welcomed Home: 'You Are A Force'

CUTCHOGUE, NY — Waving signs that read "You go, girl!" and "Welcome home, Nova Rae," the North Fork community turned out Monday to welcome home a tiny preemie who's touched hearts in a big way.

Nova Rae Schott, a baby born 12 weeks early, left the hospital Monday and came home with her delighted parents, who have shared her emotional journey with friends and family.

As Jess Dunne and Christian Schott drove to Cutchogue with their baby, cars lined the roadway as family and friends gathered for the joyful homecoming.

"It was very emotional coming down our road, seeing our families cheering for her arrival," Dunne said. "The dogs are adjusting to not being the babies anymore. We’re figuring out our groove. We’re just so excited to start our life as a family officially."

As she left the hospital, Dunne posted a message on Facebook: "NICU, good-bye. Two and a half months, 77 days, 1,848 hours, 110,880 minutes to get to you, sweet girl."

Dunne recalled the long days of waiting for her baby girl to come home. "Leaving the hospital without you after giving birth, all the drives, all the tears — this has been the biggest mountain I’ve ever had to climb in this lifetime," she said. "Little milestones that turned into big transformations. Preeclampsia jeopardizing your life and mine. Not knowing if either of us were going to make it, not knowing if it would be a stillbirth, not knowing each day for the first two weeks of life if we’d get a call that you hadn’t made it."

She added: "This pregnancy and birth has been the scariest experience of my life. It has made me the strongest I’ve ever been. Seeing how strong and resilient my baby girl was through this kept me motivated and inspired on the darkest of days. Each day showing us how strong you are, showing us what a miracle you are. All the years of wanting to be a mom...All the love I knew I had to give. Christian and I were meant to be. We were meant to have this insanely special and strong fighter. I was meant to be her mama. He was made to be her daddy."

And, as she beamed with joy, her baby in her arms, Dunne said: "We are so excited to make up for this time that we lost and love her so immensely as our new family of three. For our baby to see our full faces, mask free. For us to learn her personality, what makes her angry, what comforts her, and what makes her laugh. No more wires. No more beeping and no more alarms. No more asking permission to pick her up."

Both Dunne and Schott thanked the medical team.

"We owe everything to these doctors and nurses that cared for our girl, with grace and confidence. That gave her love each night she went to sleep when we couldn’t. We knew she was in the best hands possible to make it home to us. We are forever grateful," Dunne said.

To Christian and Nova Rae, Dunne said: "I am so honored to be in this life with you two. A quote that has seen to be very relevant in my life the past few years: 'It’s always darkest before the dawn.' Thank you to our community and friends for constantly praying, donating, and following our journey. God is good. Nova Rae Schott, You, my girl, you are a force to be reckoned with. We did it guys. We made it out!"

"Close family and friends gathered this afternoon to welcome baby Nova to the North Fork," Madison Fender said. "We all made signs and celebrated as the new family was pulling in to their neighborhood. Everyone got a peek of the smiling, sleeping baby through the car window and it was so beautiful to witness family members see her for the first time. Jess and Christian were glowing and there were lots of happy tears."

Those gathered shared their heartfelt emotions.

"Following Nova's journey has been such a light through everything going on in the world because babies bring hope and new life brings us together," said Cherryl Bradley of Mattituck.

"I was so happy seeing them coming down the road knowing that they are finally home to start their lives together as a family. Christian is an amazing brother so I know he will be the best father," said Jake Schott, Nova's new uncle

And, said Nova's grandmother Donna Dunne: "Seeing her for the first time brought tears of happiness to my eyes. Knowing she is home and healthy is everything."

“I was overwhelmed with love and amazement. She was so tiny, so perfect. I haven’t stopped crying yet. It’s still overwhelming to think about. It’s a whole new level of love I had never experienced. For my son, for Jess, and for my first grand baby," said Candice Schott.

As of Saturday, Nova Rae Schott was 4 lbs., 8 oz and 17 inches long, her mother told Patch.

Nova Rae was born 12 weeks early on Aug. 31; she was delivered at 28 weeks and weighed 1 lb., 3 oz., and was only 9 inches long, making her a micro preemie, according to a GoFundMe page, "Super Nova Rae," created by Fender to help.

But now, Dunne said, Nova has continued to grow stronger every day and is ready for her next chapter at home. "I can't wait to give this girl the world, because she gave me everything, becoming her mama."

Dunne said she wanted to thank everyone who has donated to the GoFundMe and offered such an outpouring of love and support. "That's helped us to continue this journey with less stress and focus solely on Nova," she said.

Throughout the entire time that Nova has been in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Dunne has kept the community updated about her progress.

"Some were born to be lucky," said Dunne and Christian Schott, writing on social media about their baby. "Some were born to be fighters."

A significant milestone was reached recently when the continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine, was removed, which meant bottle feeding could start, Dunne said.
Nova needed to complete four milestones before she could be released to go home, including breathing on her own, maintaining her body temperature, feeding with a bottle, and taking a one-hour car seat test.

The journey for the new parents has been marked by emotion, Dunne said.

"It has definitely been an emotional ride; we spend our days driving mostly, which is shockingly exhausting," she said. "It's been so hard with COVID — we are only allowed one hour each to visit a day."

Dunne, a popular chef on the North Fork and co-founder of North Fork Roasting Co., said she and Schott named their baby Nova Rae Schott, because, according to its definition, a "supernova" is a powerful and brilliant stellar explosion.

Describing Jess' pregnancy on the GoFundMe page, Fender said all was going well at first but, as the weeks progressed, she began suffering from severe migraines. And her doctors were concerned about her blood pressure rising, making her at risk for superimposed preeclampsia, a "dangerous pregnancy complication" characterized by high blood pressure that can lead to serious, even fatal, complications for both the mother and baby, Fender said.

In early August, Jess was admitted into the hospital multiple times for having "stroke level" high blood pressure.

"Doctors went back and forth on whether or not to deliver, but the most important thing was to keep the baby cooking in the oven as long as possible," Fender said. "After two weeks of uncertainty and trips to the ER . . . the decision was made and baby Nova entered the world!"

The journey, she added, has been "traumatic" for Jess and Christian and the expenses have continued to mount as both Nova's parents have remained by her side.

But, Fender added, the support of friends and family has been overwhelming. "We have had a lot of people reach out offering to help in any way they can which is why I decided to create this page," she said. "Any little bit will help give this new family peace of mind so they can focus on their baby girl growing strong and healthy. She is a fighter, she is strong, she is living up to her name: Super Nova! Though she be but little, she is fierce."

At home, Baby Nova's nursery was ready Monday, filled with her daddy's teddy bear Corduroy Batman Teddy Freddy, a Star Wars custom blanket, and plants.

"We can't wait to have her home and never let her go," Dunne said.

Nova Rae's story can be found on Instagram here.

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.