A baby girl born at just 23 weeks has defied the odds and gone home after spending five months in intensive care.
Doctors gave Angelisse just a 30% chance of survival when she arrived at 23 weeks, weighing only 1 lb. 4oz.
“You have to think that they’ve missed out on 17 weeks of gestation where they should be growing inside of mom, getting nutrients from mom in the placenta”, explained Dr Jaclyn Boulais, Medical Director for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
“And now they’re born early and asked to do all of that on the outside”.
For babies born so early, every day outside the womb is a battle. Their lungs may not inflate properly, their skin can be too fragile to keep out infection, and they are at high risk of bleeding in the brain.
Angelisse faced all these risks. But day by day, she grew stronger.
“She’s not on oxygen. She has not had a severe intraventricular haemorrhage. She’s never had a single infection. She tolerates her feeds. She takes her full bottles. That is just outstanding for someone who’s been born as young and as tiny as her”, said Dr Boulais. “She’s truly amazing”.
Angelisse remained in the NICU through major milestones: Mother’s Day and the start of summer. Her family made the journey from every single day to be with her in hospital.
Her mother, Ivelisse, described her daughter’s survival as a miracle.
“She fought hard to be here, and they fought hard to keep her around”, she said. “There’s no words for that. I’m just happy”.
Angelisse’s mum expressed her deep gratitude for the support she received during her daughter’s time in intensive care.
“They just let us be”, she said. “They let us express ourselves, whether it’s emotional, whether it’s happy, whether it’s sad. But they’re there to let you let it out and to reassure us that, you take that time if you need it, but we’ll be taking care of your baby until the time for you to do it comes”.
Now, after 5 months, Angelisse is finally going home.
“You see tears. You see hugs”, Dr Jaclyn said. “It’s really just such a nice opportunity to celebrate. Going home is a milestone, right? Not everyone gets to experience that. And so it should be celebrated”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Stories like Angelisse’s remind us of the incredible strength and resilience of babies born at the very edge of viability. Her life is a powerful witness to the value of every child, no matter how small or how early they are born.”
