Posted on 12/21/2004 1:36:31 PM PST by Tarpaulin
CHICAGO - A premature infant believed to be the smallest baby ever to survive was called "a great blessing" Tuesday by her mother, who is preparing to take the little girl and her twin sister home from the hospital.
The baby, named Rumaisa, weighed 8.6 ounces when she was delivered Sept. 19 at Loyola University Medical Center — less than a can of soda. That is 1.3 ounces smaller than the previous record holder, who was born at the same the hospital in 1989, according to hospital spokeswoman Sandra Martinez.
Rumaisa, her twin sister, Hiba, and their parents were introduced Tuesday at a news conference at the hospital in suburban Maywood. The girls were wrapped in identical striped blankets.
Their mother, Mahajabeen Shaik, said she didn't "have the words to say how thankful I was" when she first got to hold her children, in their second month.
"It's a blessing, it's a great blessing," said Shaik.
Hospital officials said they're doing so well that Hiba, who weighed 1 pound and 4 ounces at birth, could be released from the hospital by the end of this month, with Rumaisa following as early as the first week of January.
"They're maintaining their temperature, they don't need an incubator. They're taking their bottles. ... They're normal babies," said Dr. William MacMillan.
Rumaisa now weighs 2 pounds and 10 ounces. Her twin weighs 5 pounds.
Shaik, 23, developed pre-eclampsia, a disorder characterized by high blood pressure and other problems, during pregnancy. The condition affected Rumaisa in the womb and her mother's health, prompting a Caesarean section at 25 weeks and 6 days. Normal gestation is 40 weeks.
Shaik and her husband, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, 32, said they are looking forward to bringing their children home. The couple, originally from Hyderabad, India, live in the suburb of Hanover Park.
"We want them to be good human beings, good citizens, and she wants them to be doctors," said Rahman, looking at his wife.
"Doctors. Yes, of course, of course," she said, laughing.
Both girls underwent laser surgery to correct vision problems common in premature babies, said MacMillan. Tests have shown that there is no bleeding in Rumaisa's brain, another common complication in premature infants that can put them at risk for cerebral palsy.
Madeline Mann, the previous record holder as smallest known surviving preemie, returned to Loyola Hospital earlier this year for a celebration. Now 15, she was described as a lively honor student, though small for her age, at 4-feet-7.
According to the hospital, more than 1,700 newborns weighing less than two pounds have been cared for there in the past 20 years.
That's what I was thinking: a case of twin to twin transfer.
tiny newborn ping
Well, I used to know this bar that stayed open all night...
She endured & came through many hardships during her lifetime & never complained.
I wish there were more people like her today, with her type of stamina, love & kindness.
(I keep her portrait, framed, next to my pc. She died in 1954 & would have been totally "awed" with computers.)
I have my own Christmas miracle....
...my first grandchild was born recently very early due to preeclampsia in my daughter.
...She's healthy, strong and gaining weight well.
Didn't need an incubator or help with her lungs.
Miracles still happen....and this child, though small, is perfectly intact.....by God's grace.
That they do.
Hugs and Christmas kisses for you.....
-Auntie Maigrey
Believe it or not, when I was around 14 I use to volunteer in a hospital part time on weekends cleaning up rooms, taking out the garbage, feeding the patients and one day I walked into one semi-operating room to clean up and this one freggin` Doctor had a recently aborted kid that same exact size of that one in the picture above laying on the table. He was measuring it while talking into a tape recorder and it totally freaked me out. The kid looked like broken puppet or something and I asked him if that was a real baby and he told me it was, the mother didn`t want it and almost puked. You could tell the kid had busted bones and was all messed up from being yanked out. That was in the late `70`s before all the anti-abortion stuff started getting more publicity, so I guess abortiong a kid that late term was no big deal. Just like a dead rat he had him on the table and for years I couldn`t stop thinking about it, I kept thinking about my little brother and that could have been him if my mother decided to do the same thing . I felt like it was murder, and it pretty much was wasn`t it? Legalized murder. That kid would have been in his mid 20`s by now. I wonder if his mother ever thinks of him today.
Isn't that just simply amazing? There's something so very special about little baby girls.
A very Merry Christmas and the best of New Year's to come for you too Auntie Maigrey. Did you change your name???
Hugs .... big ones!
*TT*, Beth & Nana
The doctor also said this was the work of a Higher Power.
#28..Unless her conscience is seared....you can probably count on it.
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