A premature baby who was so small she only fit in Build-A-Bear clothes has been able to go home after more than 300 days in hospital.
Baby Kamerie’s mother Anitra was initially not worried during her pregnancy when she was told that her baby was measuring a little small, because her eldest daughter had been the same. But a scan at around 22 weeks revealed that Kamerie had stopped growing and her heart rate was dropping.
“The sonographer checked her growth and I could tell something was wrong. She said ‘I’m going to get a doctor’. The doctor said ‘it’s go time’”, Anitra said.
Kamerie was born by emergency Caesarean section weighing just 1lb 5oz.
Anitra said “We didn’t hear her cry. We got to see her an hour later when the nurse took a picture. She had a head full of dark hair. All I could see was her ribcage. She was so small”.
Medics soon discovered that Kamerie had medical problems
She was diagnosed with chronic lung disease soon after birth as her lungs were underdeveloped. After two months, Kamerie still was not growing and weighed around 2lbs. Chromosome testing showed that she had 18p deletion, a rare genetic disorder.
Doctors suggested that Kamerie might never walk or talk. Her mother said “It was a waiting game for her”.
“We were buying Build-A-Bear clothes for Kamerie and doll clothes”, she added.
However, Kamerie started gaining weight gradually and was able to go home for the first time after 384 days in hospital. She still weighed less than 10lbs when she came home and had a tracheostomy tube for her breathing and a ventilator.
Kamerie is now 21 months old and weighs 17lbs and 5oz, still much smaller than the average weight for her age, which is 24lbs 9oz. She is smaller than her older sister’s dolls and wears 6-9 month old clothes.
“Even now she is so small she doesn’t fit a newborn shoe. She’s still extremely small”, her mother said.
However, she is able to sit up, crawl and roll, exceeding expectations. She is also undergoing speech therapy and her parents are teaching her sign language to help her communicate.
Anitra said “She’s like a little firecracker. She lets you know when she doesn’t like something. She loves to dance”.
Over 30 years since the time limit for abortion was last updated
Although Kamerie’s parents chose not to undergo testing in the womb to find out about their daughter’s genetic disorder, many parents who do find out that their child has a disability tragically choose to abort their unborn child. In 2022, there were 3,124 disability-selective abortions under Ground E in England and Wales.
There have been at least 3,000 abortions in England and Wales due to disability every year since 2014. A 2014 Department of Health review found evidence that there is significant under-reporting of the number of abortions for some fetal disabilities. These numbers are therefore likely to be significantly higher.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is so uplifting to hear that even babies as small as Kamerie can go on to live happy and fulfilled lives at home with their families. All children, no matter how young or small, should receive the medical support they need to have the best chance of life”.
