A baby girl who went from weighing just 1lb when she was born at just 23 weeks to over 8lbs just four months later has finally gone home.
Baby Miracle Murray was born at just 23 weeks, one week before the abortion limit in England and Wales. She was the first daughter of her mother Tiffany, who already has four sons aged 23 to 8 years old, and didn’t have the easiest start in life.
“It was stressful; I cried every day”, said her mother. “I felt sad at night; I wanted her to come home with me, but I understood that her health was more important”.
Tiffany spent every day in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with baby Miracle until she was strong enough to be discharged.
Over 35 medical staff helped care for Miracle
Because she was born so prematurely, she was unable to regulate her body temperature so had to be kept in an incubator. This meant that baby Miracle had to be kept in hospital for an unusually long time, and a team of over 35 medical staff cared for her during her stay, including neonatologists, physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists.
Some labour and delivery doctors and nurses also stayed updated on Miracle’s progress.
“It was nice to see everyone working together to take part of Tiffany and Miracle’s care”, said physician assistant Joanna Barretta. “A lot of times labour and delivery nurses don’t get to see the outcome. It was nice that they were able to”.
Elyse Harrell, assistant nurse manager of the NICU, said that all the staff involved with Miracle’s care had become very attached to her and her mother.
“But she just did so wonderfully. We were all so proud of her. She did very well. She met our expectations the whole time”, she added.
Joanna went on to say of the newborns in the NICU “It’s really amazing because they’re very strong while also being very fragile at the same time. They’re resilient”.
Miracle’s mum Tiffany expressed her gratitude for the team saying “I want to thank them all for being there for my baby. They handled her as if she were their own baby, and that touched me a lot”.
Miracle is now home after four months in hospital
Miracle’s care team applauded her as she ‘graduated’ from the hospital after over four months in the NICU. She weighed 1lb 8oz, over eight times more than she had weighed at birth.
Nurses had helped to teach Tiffany how to change, feed and care for Miracle, as well as ensuring that she received skin-to-skin contact with her mother.
“She went home looking as healthy as some of the full-term babies”, Joanna said.
Survival rates have improved for babies born below the abortion limit
Babies like Miracle who were born before the current UK abortion limit of 24 weeks are increasingly able to survive. The last time the abortion limit was lowered in 1990, the improved survival rates for extremely prematurely born babies was one of the key considerations that motivated this change.
By the same logic, and informed by the improved survival rates for babies born at 22 and 23 weeks gestation, the abortion time limit should also be lowered now.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is wonderful to hear how supportive little Miracle’s medical team have been for her and her mother through this challenging period of hospitalisation. As more medical professionals speak out about their experiences about caring for premature and unborn children, more light will be shed on the humanity of these babies”.
