Baby born at 23 weeks goes home after months in hospital

JACKSON, Tenn. — When we first met Sutton, he was a week old and weighed less than two pounds.

“He was on the vent for breathing reasons, and he was in the isolate, and now he’s on room air, and he just has a nose cannula. He’s come a long way,” Sutton’s father, Clif Lackey, said.

As Sutton’s mother filled out paperwork for their doctor’s appointment, Lackey says that journey wasn’t an easy one.

“We had to be transferred to Vanderbilt so he could get more medical care, and while we were in Nashville, he did end up having surgery,” Lackey said. “He said every surgery they did was better than they expected.”

Sutton was expected to be born on March 17.

Three weeks after his original due date, Sutton came home to Savannah for the first time.

“Walking out, it was almost surreal because she was carrying him out. She was like, ‘Am I supposed to be carrying him out?'” Lackey said. “We cannot thank y’all enough, or thank the community enough for how much they helped.”

And now the family can finally start settling into a new feeling of normal.

“His whole life has been in the hospital, and we’re ready for him to have a normal life just like any other kid,” Lackey said.

You can continue to follow Sutton Lackey’s journey through the family’s Facebook page.