Baby Steps...
A SMALL MIRACLE...
Amillia Sonja Taylor, born Oct. 24 after just less than 22 weeks in the womb, will spend a few extra days in the hospital as a precaution.
Amillia, now a relatively robust 4½ pounds, was about to be released from Baptist Children's Hospital in Florida, but today doctors unexpectedly decided to postpone her release.
A hospital spokeswoman told The Associated Press that she did not have details on why doctors had changed their minds about sending Amillia home.
On Monday, Amillia was between 25 and 26 inches long, doctors said. She was 9½ inches long and weighed 10 ounces at birth.
Amillia is the youngest surviving premature baby, born after just 21 weeks and six days in the womb.
The only known premature babies that have survived so young prior to her were all born at 23 weeks. The average pregnancy is between 37 weeks and 40 weeks long.
Her parents, doctors and caretakers joined "Good Morning America" Monday to discuss Amillia's amazing recovery. Her parents expected her to be released from the hospital today. "I'm overjoyed to be able to take her home," Amillia's mother, Sonja Taylor, told "GMA."
Taylor said that she stayed hopeful throughout Amillia's first few weeks of life.
"I knew we were going to be able to take her home because she had great doctors, nurses, physical therapists. So I knew she was coming home," Taylor said.
Amillia was born with a mild brain hemorrhage, respiratory problems and digestive problems, but her doctor, William Smalling, said she showed a strong will to live.
"This baby showed signs of being viable at the time of delivery, which means she showed signs that she was mature enough to survive," Smalling said.
"She made efforts at breathing, [an] attempt to cry at birth. So when she was assessed at the delivery, she showed signs that she may have been mature enough to survive, and she proved us right," Smalling said.
Amilia will return home today but will be constantly monitored.
According to Smalling, "She still needs a little bit of oxygen, but that's to be expected. Her future looks bright at this point."
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I wish for Amilia's future to be filled with happiness and good health. It will be a long road...
posted by Jodi @ 2/20/2007 04:05:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I can't imagine the health problems she will probably have....
and didn't you think her little feet looked like some Gummy candy?
Very considerate, Karmyn.
Remember you're talking about someone's child. You should go to your local Intensive Care Unit and see what these babies and their families go through before comparing body parts to candy.
Remember everyone has an opinion... Maybe you should keep yours to yourself.
My 23 week daughter is now 4 weeks old.
Paul
Oh, Paul... you need to lighten up a bit. Humor helps us make it through this big old world.... it wasn't meant to be malicious!
Perhaps before you start jumping on someone's case you should know a bit about them... Karmyn is a wonderful mother of two beautiful kids and she is probably one of the nicest people you would meet.
So my suggestion for you, Paul, is just to move along to another blog if you are so sensitive. But I do wish you well with your daughter.
Tell Paul that we lost two babies in 2006. Karmyn lost one in her first trimester.
Karmyns sister lost one much further along (September) with little toes just that size. It was tough on all of us.
And in our sadness sometimes we prefer to disassociate.
I cried when I saw those feet on the news and I hoped that our other daughter didn't get to see them.
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