Freddie
When Marley and Gabriel Fender welcomed their third child, Freddie, into the world at just 33 weeks, they already knew a bit about navigating the NICU. Their middle child, Ezra, had a similar start and thanks to Southwest Human Development’s Smooth Way Home program, they knew what kind of support could make all the difference.
“We met the Smooth Way Home team with Ezra,” Marley says. “He was born at 36 weeks and had a tough start. When Freddie came early too, it was comforting to know what to expect, and that someone would be there for us again.”
Feeding was the biggest challenge for both boys. As a mother-baby nurse who sometimes works in the NICU herself, Marley had the experience, but being the parent is a whole different story. “I knew what to do, but when it’s your own child, it’s harder,” she admits.
Still, Marley took on the feeding tubes, appointments, and coordination with determination. Gabriel, the numbers guy of the household, balanced things out. “He helped me slow down when I needed to,” she says. “And I handled the checklists.”
But what stood out most for the Fenders wasn’t just the equipment or milestone charts, it was the relationships. “Jamie, our coordinator for Ezra, felt like a lifeline,” Marley remembers. “She walked us through everything when we felt overwhelmed.” For Freddie, that role is filled by Lorraine, who, Marley says, “has supported not only Freddie, but me, too.”
After Freddie’s birth, Marley faced postpartum depression, a struggle she hadn’t fully voiced until recently. “Lorraine kept checking in on me, asking how I was doing. It meant so much.”
From coordinating follow-ups with GI, neurology, and cardiology specialists to celebrating small wins like Freddie’s first solid foods, the Smooth Way Home program provided both structure and a soft place to land. “At first, it felt like just another thing to manage. But it became something I looked forward to,” Marley says.
For the Fenders, it wasn’t just about developmental checklists or getting past feeding challenges. It was about being seen. “They didn’t just ask about Freddie, they asked about Stella and Ezra too,” Marley shares. “It felt like someone genuinely cared about our whole family.”
Now with Freddie thriving, Marley reflects on how far they’ve come. “Our goal was that our kids would be able to eat. And they are. That’s huge for us.”
Social media might highlight everyone else’s timelines, but Smooth Way Home reminded them to focus on their own. “Freddie is eight and a half months old, but developmentally, he’s more like six and a half. When we see him that way, we see how well he’s really doing.”
What started as another referral became something more. “Smooth Way Home gave us guidance, friendship, and reassurance,” Marley says. “We weren’t just another case. We were a family, and we were never alone.”