Baby Weighed Just 1 Lb. at Birth. Then Hospital Found ‘Incredible’ Ways to Celebrate Joy During 4-Month Stay in NICU

When Kelly Burns delivered her daughter Blake at 27 weeks, her first diaper was so small it could fit on an Elf on the Shelf

When Kelly Burns first welcomed her baby girl, her first diaper was so small it could fit on an Elf on the Shelf.

Burns’ daughter Blake was born at 27 weeks at Mass General Brigham Hospital and weighed just 1 lb. Because she was born so early, the little one would end up having to spend the next four months of her life at the Brigham neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“We knew from Blake’s 20-week anatomy scan that she had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR),” Burns tells PEOPLE. “She was measuring small on the ultrasound, so we underwent an amniocentesis that came back otherwise normal.”

“Later, we found out she was small because I had a placental insufficiency due to the umbilical artery not working correctly,” she continues.

Burns has a rare lung disease called Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), which made things more difficult. She was being monitored by maternal fetal medicine (MFM) to ensure that they were ready for whatever happened.

“I developed pre-eclampsia, so I was admitted to the hospital a few weeks before Blake was born [and] was having twice a day non-stress tests and several ultrasounds every week,” continues Burns. “Ultimately, when I was 27 weeks and 5 days pregnant, our team decided that Blake would grow better on the outside. So the choice to deliver was made, and she was delivered via C-section.”

Immediately after her C-section, Burns was able to hear her daughter cry — a noise she calls the “sweetest sound.” Then, Blake was whisked away to the NICU while Burns was taken to recovery.

“My husband went to the NICU to be with her and then came down to tell me all about her,” she explains. “When my recovery was complete, the nurses wheeled me to her NICU room so I could see her for the first time.”

“Obviously, not seeing or holding your child right away is an incredibly difficult and emotional situation, and I actually couldn’t hold her until she was 6 days old,” adds Burns.

Blake spent the next four months in the NICU. Burns explains that her day-to-day routines would consist of checking labs, getting her to gain weight, and watching her breathing.

“Blake had such an incredible medical team, and her nurses really helped us celebrate her milestones,” says Burns. “Milestones included holidays, getting off CPAP and hitting big weight goals like 2 lbs.!”

“These milestones were mostly celebrated with photo shoots, but a lot of times I would walk into her room in the morning to find new collages that her nurses made of her handprints and footprints to really show how far she had come,” continues the proud mom.

“Also for Christmas, my 3.5-year-old made sure we brought a small Christmas tree for her to have in her room because he said, ‘How can Santa find her in the hospital without a tree?'”

Brigham NICU director Elisa Abdulhayoglu tells PEOPLE that the staff loved celebrating each milestone with Blake and her family.

“The Brigham & Women’s NICU staff and I loved taking photos of Blake for all of the special occasions during her lengthy stay,” she says. “Blake was born small, but with big eyes and an even bigger attitude!”

“Watching her grow to the point where she finally fit into the costumes was inspiring for all. The smile on mom Kelly’s face during the photo shoots and when she saw the pictures was priceless,” continues Dr. Abdulhayoglu. “The photos not only bring joy to families, but also to the care providers. Brigham NICU nurses, respiratory therapists and physical therapists help with these photo shoots, so it’s truly a team effort!”

When it was finally time for Blake to come home, Burns says it was a “surreal” moment.

“Finding out that she would be coming home was surreal because that’s all I wanted, but to actually have it happen was another thing,” she shares. “It was also crunch time because I had to make sure everything was set up and ready for her to be home.”

“The day we did bring her home was incredibly emotional, and I just kept crying,” says Burns.

Now, Blake is 7 months old, and her family is getting ready to celebrate their first Mother’s Day together.

“I am excited to be able to celebrate Mother’s Day with Blake home,” says Burns. “We are going to spend the day at a restaurant/oyster farm. It’s actually where we went last Mother’s Day when I was pregnant with Blake, so this feels full circle and this time I can enjoy the oysters.”