Posted on 02/19/2007 5:38:59 PM PST by Cedar
MIAMI(AFP) - The world's most premature living baby, born at 21 weeks and six days, is headed home after spending four months in a neonatal intensive care unit, Baptist Children's Hospital in Miami announced.
"It was hard to imagine she would get this far. But now she is beginning to look like a real baby," the baby's mother, Sonja Taylor said.
No baby born at less than 23 weeks was previously known to have survived, according to the University of Iowa, which keeps a record of the world's tiniest babies.
"Even though she's only four pounds (1.8 kilos) now, she's plump to me," Taylor said.
When she was born on October 24, Amillia Taylor weighed just 280 grams (10 ounces) and measured 240 centimeters (9.5 inches,) slightly longer than a ballpoint pen, the hospital said.
Doctors said the baby girl is now thriving and well enough to be cared for by her parents at home.
She did suffer a laceration on her head at birth, but healed quickly from the wound.
"She's truly a miracle baby," said William Smalling, a neonatalist at the Baptist Children's Hospital.
He said caring for Amillia in the past month was like navigating uncharted waters.
"We didn't even know what a normal blood pressure is for a baby this small," Smalling said.
The baby was delivered via C-section after attempts to delay a premature delivery failed. She was breathing without assistance at birth and even made several attempts to cry.
The American Association of Pediatrics indicates that babies born at less than 23 weeks of age and 400 grams in weight are not considered viable.
"It may be that we need to reconsider our standard for viability in light of Amillia's case," said Smalling. "Over the years, the technology that we have available to save these premature babies has improved dramatically. Today, we can save babies that would have never survived 10 years ago," he said.
photo?
The science of life versus the culture of death.
Can't you get an abortion till 26 weeks? Kinda throws a wrench in the Abortionist crowds death machine now doesn't it! This baby will prove to be a Miracle baby more then anyone knows at this time.
You can get an abortion up through 40 weeks. Or until you have actually given birth, which ever is longer.
Thanks, I was trying to look up that info. I thought it was longer.
Drudge has a picture of her little feet!!
heading over there to see.....thanks for the heads up!
aaaaaaaaah
How can even the most liberal dark mind reconcile a 40 week along abortion?
I always wondered what living fetal tissue looked like.
Well just listen to them howl and scream about the "need" for partial birth abortion and well, I guess that's how. Of course you could always listen to George Tiller talk about how much he likes late term abortion, cuz they mean more money.
Easy to do when you just turn it off, if it's not already.
These are the same people who will tolerate terrorism if it furthers their agenda.
Shame is not a quality they posses.
Isn't it amazing that so many murder-loving people would fight you to the death for a woman's so-called "right" to murder a baby at that age? Even more so - how many babies have been "aborted" at 21 or 22 weeks? How many of our elected officials voted AGAINST partial-birth abortion that is aimed directly at babies at this age?
Oh - John Edwards----where are you????
For some reason I couldn't get this image to post...but go to this link to see her when she was just a few days old. She really was as small as a ball point pen!
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/hl/022007prematurebaby/im:/070220/480/48fa7cb426b64ceaa7aecd9d249c4f66;_ylt=ArGEvu1Sj6PM55KtAD887c5saMYA?sp=6000
The Dark Side (ie: Abortion Industry) would consider that statement as heretical, and an affront to their noble cause (and paycheck). This Dr. Smalling guy must be smashed, ridiculed, driven out of the pediatric business ... his house burned, his family imprisoned, with Hillary's shrill rants piped into their cell every moment of every day .....
/sarcasm off, with apologies for any irreverent offense
God Bless Ya, baby Amillia :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.