donna-deannuntis This movie is one of the best I have seen. At times it was hard to watch, but I was rooting till the end for Nicholas. I both cried and laughed in this film because I was feeling the emotions that Nicole was being put through. Ethics seemed to be the issue but you have to watch this movie with an open mind that love alone can save peoples' life. I agree with Nicole Conn, if Nicolas was my son I would have done everything in my power to keep him alive. Get tissues ready as you watch two mothers battle differently with their emotions. Watch a little baby go through hell and come back to a wonderful life and place with two super mommies. I applaud the films creator and director as she made a wonderful choice to do this film.

grace-heckenberg This is a very informative documentary about the horrific and horrifically expensive lives of micro-preemies. Nicole Conn cites uncontrollable "maternal instincts" as her excuse for choosing to attempt to keep her micro-preemie alive -- against the wishes of her life partner.Needless to say, the poor micro-preemie goes through hell because of Nicole Conn's emotional "needs." He will have very severe medical problems and limitations for the rest of his life and require constant very expensive care (e.g. round-the-clock nursing).Conn's wife (who did not agree with Conn in requesting extreme medical measures to keep the micro-preemie alive) and their young daughter also suffer greatly. And so do the citizens of California who must pay for this micro-preemie's medical expenses, OVER A MILLION DOLLARS in infancy alone and no doubt MANY MILLIONS MORE during the course of his life.Conn appears to be an incredibly selfish person who is willing to let everybody else suffer in order to get her own emotional "needs" met -- and she refuses to see that her "needs" are really just wants, optional. Although she attempts to vindicate herself, nothing can justify such extraordinary selfishness. It's sad to think of someone who would cause such suffering to get her "needs" met parenting even a healthy child.(Watch for the element Munchhausen's by proxy: Because her micro-preemie is the center of intense medical attention, she is able to bask in the glow and feel very important herself. On top of all that attention, Conn is simultaneously starring in a documentary about...herself!) I rated this 10 stars because I feel that people need to be aware of how public funds and health care dollars are wasted by amoral people like Conn. We need new laws that will prevent this sort of thing.That the micro-preemie is now a cute toddler does not justify this: How long will he remain tiny and cute? Who is going to care for him when he is no longer a cute little toddler? Will the older sister, who lost nearly all her mother's attention after his birth (apparently of no concern to Conn), be expected to sacrifice much of her life to care for him? The suffering he went through in the many months before he went home for the hospital was enough to justify stopping the extreme medical measures that were used to keep him alive.

mswritesalot This film sort of fell into my lap while I was channel surfing last night. When my boyfriend came into the room, I told him, "I'd like to see this, but I don't know that you'd have much interest in it, so I'll just tape it tomorrow and watch it later." He said fine, that we could watch one of our weekly taped programs.Neither of us touched the remote control. The story of little man Nicholas was *that* captivating. It's also hard to watch at times, and makes you question your own beliefs in regards to where to draw the line with modern medicine as well as the lengths you would go to in order to save your child's life.The child in this film, Nicholas, is not only afflicted with mysterious congenital issues the doctors can't identify, but the woman carrying him develops a life-threatening condition that requires him to be born roughly halfway through the gestation period or terminated. Some might argue that these developments could have been nature's way of saying, 'No, this child should not be born." Prolonging the lives of premature babies is a highly controversial subject. The child's life -- and quality of life -- isn't the only life affected, of course. Families with preemies (who so frequently become special needs children) struggle and frequently fall apart under the pressure. Not only is this film about the struggle to save a child who has seemingly every strike against him, but it is also about the struggle to save a relationship and a family. Anyone who tries to make the argument that same-sex marriages aren't really marriages should watch this film. These women are a team, every bit as much as any husband/wife team. Yes, they have the difficulties and struggles, but they are a team more dedicated to saving what they have than most of the heterosexual couples I know. I can't begin to count the number of people I know whose heterosexual marriages fell apart after the development of cataclysmic health issues.Several times throughout this film, I found myself thinking, "I would not be able to do that." I so admire the director of this film for going so public with this very, very personal fight. Several times, I found myself thinking, "Is it fair to put this child through so much? Is it right?" I can't answer the questions about fairness or rightness. After all, I didn't live this situation. It wasn't my child or my relationship. What I will say is this: This film is every bit as joyous as it is wrenching. It's not so much a film to be watched as it is experienced. As I said, my boyfriend and I fully intended to turn away from this film and watch something else. The story, the way it was told, and the honesty with which it was told made turning away impossible.

sfbay123 This is truly a unique film. I had amazing opportunity to see this film win HBO's Best Feature Audience Award at the Miami film festival this year. And I don't think that's ever been won by a documentary. That's how touching this film is! The filmmakers put their hearts on their sleeves and tell the amazing story of a little fighter named Nicholas. Nicholas had a .00004 percent chance of living. And not only does he fight so hard each and every day through this film, he touches everyones life that he meets. It's so rare for nurses and doctors to become attached to their patients these days, but nicholas' medical family certainly becomes emotionally invested in him. He is an amazing little man.I can't wait for the DVD to hear the filmmakers discuss the making of this masterpiece.