TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- Every two years the Women's Hospital at the North Mississippi Medical Center opens its doors to people who were once patients and residents.
Graduates of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit get together for a special occasion.
"We've always come to the reunion," said Jamie Green, parent. "We're here and my twins were born in 2005, so every two years I've always made sure they got to come."
"We're coming down here to see all her doctors that took care of her and the nurses, let them know how much we appreciate their care for her," added Kristie Dye, parent.
The staff at the Women's Hospital says when you work with infants who are born premature and you watch them grow, it's a job you learn to cherish every day.
"It makes your heart feel good," adds Sabrina Browning, NICU nurse manager. "You get to see them come back and [see] that they're doing so well."
"I couldn't ask for better people or a better facility," added Jessica Verner, parent. "They made sure we were taken care of 24 hours a day and hospitable to us."
The staff at the Women's Hospital say this reunion provides an opportunity for them to continue a growing bond with the families that have survived a traumatic experience.
"We really bond with them because we're a second support for them while they're here with their baby," added Browning.
Those who have experienced what it's like to go through having a premature child offer the following advice to first-time parents.
"My best advice would be to ask questions, ask questions and ask questions, because if they don't have the answer they will find it for you," adds Verner. "There going to make sure they put you in a position that's most comfortable to get through the process."
On average, there are around 350 admissions a year. The average stay for parents and newborns at NICU can be between 3 and 6 months.
