A premature baby girl, who weighed just over a pound when she was born, has finally gone home from the hospital after 236 days.
Sharifa Jackson’s daughter, Arya, was born on 13 August 2025, at only 24 weeks gestation – about 16 weeks early. Her pregnancy seemed normal until she suddenly began to feel unwell. Amazingly, it was only three hours from when Sharifa started to feel unwell to her daughter’s birth.
During her eight months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Arya had several serious complications, including a heart defect and severe lung disease, and had to undergo several blood transfusions. It was a month before Sharifa was even allowed to hold her daughter.
“I didn’t know anything about a NICU or NICU life or a baby that could weigh one pound”, Sharifa said.
“We’ve been through so many hospitals […] every person who cared for her loved her so much”, she added. “I never worried when we weren’t at the hospital because they took care of her like their own”.
Even though there were challenges, Sharifa said that there were some good days.
“We had a really sunny day. She got to go outside in the stroller [for the] first time ever [and] experience the sunshine and air”, she said. “I think she decided, ‘You know what? I don’t want to be in this hospital room anymore, let me pick it up’”.
In subsequent weeks, baby Arya’s condition improved exponentially, and she was able to speed up the process that would enable her to go home.
When the big day came, doctors and nurses lined the hallways of the NICU and cheered as Arya left the hospital with her parents for the first time.
“I think we got on the steps [and] I said, ‘Whose baby is this?’ Not that I couldn’t imagine it happening, it was just so long we got used to living in the NICU”, Sharifa said.
“When you get to this point and can bring your baby home, you don’t remember the other times”, she added.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is great to hear that Arya’s condition has improved so much recently, and that she was able to go home with her family at long last”.
“Arya’s story is a testament to the strength that all premature babies have, and shows that, with the right care and support, they can thrive”.
