Born at 32 Weeks Weighing 2 Pounds, 1.6 Ounces, Savannah Arinder Spent 57 Days in the NICU, and Now Her Family Is the March of Dimes Ambassador Family in Greenville

Two pounds, 1.6 ounces is what Savannah Arinder weighed when she was born at 32 weeks, according to FOX Carolina. She spent 57 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, and her parents, FOX Carolina anchor Anna Arinder and her husband, Garison, are now the 2026 Ambassador Family for the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction in Greenville.

Fifty-Seven Days in the NICU for a Daughter Born at 32 Weeks

FOX Carolina’s report on its own anchor says Savannah was born prematurely, at 32 weeks, and went home after the 57 days in the NICU. The station did not name the hospital or describe any complications, and it did not give Savannah’s current age.

Anna Arinder said the family knows the heartbreak, the uncertainty and the fear that come with life inside a NICU. She said that before Savannah left the hospital, the family made a promise to give back to the families who come through the unit after them.

The weeks Savannah spent there are not unusual for a baby born that early. March of Dimes says preterm babies usually stay in the NICU until their organs can work without medical support, which can take weeks or months. The organization lists the usual signs a baby is ready for home: weighing at least 4 pounds, staying warm without an incubator, feeding, gaining weight steadily and breathing without help.

Other NICU journeys on the site run longer, such as Baby Quinn Hackett, born at 25 weeks weighing 13 ounces, and Baby Journey Ossenkopp, who went home to Westchester after 8 months in the hospital.

The March of Dimes page sorts births before 37 weeks into categories. Under its breakdown, 32 weeks sits in the “moderate” range, which it lists as 32 to 34 weeks. Babies born before 32 weeks are classed as very preterm, and the page names breathing problems, infections, jaundice and eye disease among the complications that preterm babies can face.

An Ambassador Family and the Hyatt Regency Auction

The Arinders’ role is tied to the Signature Chefs Auction, an annual March of Dimes event. FOX Carolina reported that the auction raises money for maternal and infant health research, educational programs and resources for local hospitals, and that it takes place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Greenville. The station’s Nov. 5 report said the auction was scheduled for Thursday night, and it reported no fundraising totals.

The earlier edition of the Greenville event shows the pattern. According to the 2024 event page, the Greenville auction was held on Nov. 7, 2024, and its proceeds supported March of Dimes work on the health of mothers and babies, from prenatal to postpartum care.

Part of that work is aimed at families in exactly the Arinders’ position. March of Dimes announced on Sept. 30, 2026, that its NICU Family Support program was marking 25 years. The group says the program has reached more than 1.25 million families since 2001, and more than 50,000 NICU families each year. It offers information, connections with other families, parental mental health support and guidance through the NICU stay and the move home.

How Common Early Births Are in South Carolina and Across the U.S.

Savannah’s birth is part of a larger count. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 1 in 10 U.S. infants, or 10.4%, were born preterm in 2022, and that preterm birth and low birth weight accounted for about 14% of infant deaths that year. The CDC page defines preterm as before 37 completed weeks and says survivors can face breathing and feeding difficulties, developmental delay and vision or hearing problems.

In the state where the auction is held, the March of Dimes state summary for South Carolina puts the preterm birth rate at 11.6% of live births in 2024, about 1 in 9 babies.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Peter K Burian – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons