Latest news with #prematurebirth
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
World's most premature baby thriving at 1 year old
Born 133 days early at University of Iowa Health Care, Nash Keen spent 198 days in the NICU before going home. His parents and medical provider speak about his miraculous survival.
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
My baby nearly didn't survive her birth. Her presence has made me a grateful mom
This First Person article is the experience of Lauren Helstrom, who lives in Saskatoon with her daughter Evee. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ. Right from the moment of her delivery, my daughter's life hung by a thread. I'd gone into labour 17 weeks before my due date, and something in my bones screamed danger. After getting admitted at the hospital, I was rushed onto a stretcher and wheeled through double doors, past people too afraid to meet my gaze. It felt like the room itself was holding its breath. I was supposed to say goodbye. A labour and delivery nurse kneeled beside me, gripped my hand and whispered, "I'm not leaving you." I didn't know how badly I needed those words until they reached me. Motherhood didn't begin the way I dreamed. But strangers in masks and gowns gave me the chance to be the mother I dreamed I could be. My daughter, Evee, was born at 23 weeks and four days gestation, weighing 561 grams — just the size of a bag of candy. She emerged still wrapped in her amniotic sac — skin like wet rose petals, lungs too tiny to rise and fall. She was silent. No heartbeat. Not breathing. But the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) team was there and ready, not to mourn, but to fight. A resident stepped in to resuscitate her. I will never forget his face — the tears in his eyes as he fought for her life with both hands. They brought her back. They saved her. They saved us both. A ghost of a mother The NICU was like another planet. Foreign. Unforgiving. Sacred. I wasn't handed my baby. I wasn't even allowed to touch her. She lay inside a glass box, her chest flickering with effort, tangled in wires and tubes. Machines surrounded her — blinking, hissing, screaming a language I didn't understand. I sat at her bedside, afraid to breathe too loud and overwhelmed by alarms that wouldn't stop. They pierced my eardrums and stabbed my heart. The first time I sang You Are My Sunshine, I didn't make it past the line, "Please don't take my sunshine away." I wept into my hands. Was I a mother? I couldn't cradle my baby or feed her. I needed permission just to place my fingertip on her paper-thin skin. I felt like a ghost of a mother. Invisible. Useless. Failing. I was haunted by the feeling: "You're saying goodbye." Evee spent 130 days in the NICU. She battled retinopathy of prematurity, chronic lung disease, seizures, an open duct in her heart and the worst yet — a grade 4 brain bleed and hydrocephalus. Through it all, the NICU staff were the hands that held me when I collapsed. And yet, within that grief, there was devotion. If you're a parent - you'll remember what it was like to be in a hospital delivery room. That memory is still fresh for Lauren Helstrom, whose daughter was born 17 weeks prematurely and spent the first months of her life at the neonatal intensive care unit in Saskatoon. Lauren has written a First Person piece for CBC on that experience, and shares her insights with host Shauna Powers. I changed her micro-sized diapers with trembling hands. I started to feel like her mother not in dramatic moments, but in small sacred ones — when she grasped my finger, or when a nurse said, "She knows your voice." When another NICU parent passed me in the hallway and gave a nod like we shared something unspoken. We were part of a club no one wanted to join. Even after we came home, we faced a new chapter filled with medical complexity, with several continued check-ups that continue for Evee today. And the shadows continued to visit. Post-traumatic stress after the NICU is not rare. It is real. It is silent. And it can destroy you if you carry it alone. The wounds don't close just because you've been discharged. But slowly, we've emerged from that dark time in NICU. My daughter didn't walk or talk until after the age of two. But once she started — she ran, she talked, she laughed. Now, at age three, Evee is vibrant and full of life. She dances barefoot in the kitchen and sings with her whole chest. She calls me "Mommy" like it's the most natural word in the world. I became a mother in a room where I once felt I had to say goodbye. I became a mother beside ventilators, signing forms, praying silently. I became a mother when I learned to hold hope and fear in the same breath. I became a mother the moment I refused to stop asking for help. I became a mother when I stayed by her side while others left the room. I became a mother when I looked at her — impossibly small, impossibly alive — and whispered: "Stay with me, my girl." And she did.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Miracle' five years since twins' Covid coma birth
A doctor whose twins were delivered prematurely while she was in a coma says the five years since have been like a series of "miracles unfolding". Dr Perpetual Uke, a rheumatology consultant at Birmingham City Hospital, was placed into an induced coma after catching Covid-19 before her twins were delivered by Caesarean section at 26 weeks on 10 April 2020. She came around 16 days later, convinced her twins were dead, before hospital staff told her they were alive. The twins turned five years old in April and both have learned to walk and talk, which Dr Uke said was something she "cherished". "I just hope for the best because everything about it has been miracles unfolding, just like how you turn the pages of your book," she said. Dr Uke said she was at high-risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid but continued to work during the pandemic because she felt a duty of care to her patients. After catching the disease, Dr Uke was admitted to the hospital's critical care unit, placed on a ventilator and put in an induced coma to help her recover. When they were born, her daughter weighed just 770g (27oz) while her brother, weighed 850g (30oz). Dr Uke's husband Matthew said he had conflicting emotions when his children were born. "If the twins are there - where is my wife? Because by then, it was not certain she was going to come out of her coma," he said. "Am I going to have to care for the twins alone? It was a very difficult moment." Dr Uke recalled the "surreal" experience of waking and how she found it difficult to believe her children were alive, until she saw them for the first time. Despite what her husband described as the "grind" of the past five years, Dr Uke said her outlook had become more positive. "We are very glad, happy and joyous because of what they've achieved and are going to achieve in the future," she said. Mr Uke described 2020 as like "being in a dark moment" and 2025 was "like being in the sunshine". "We are very happy and we're very thankful to the NHS, to all the people who cared for them and that continue to care for them," he said. "They're wonderful. Their dedication and passion are off the charts. All the people who work in the NHS - they are special." Dr Uke has since written a book about the family's story called Covid Coma to Twin Birth: Threads of Miracles, which she hoped would help others going through difficult times. "If you have ever, in any situation in your life, felt the weight of the unknown in a difficult moment, just hold on to hope," she said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Pregnant doctor felt 'duty of care' during pandemic Twins born to Covid-19 coma patient turn one Twins born to Covid-19 patient in coma Related internet links Birmingham Women's Hospital
Daily Mail
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Adelaide Crows star Wayne Milera suffers scare after second son is born prematurely
Adelaide Crows defender Wayne Milera has shared a deeply personal update following his recent absence from a game earlier this month. The mystery surrounding his withdrawal has now been solved with the heartfelt news of the early arrival of his second son, Stanley Richie Wayne Milera, born several weeks premature. Stanley was born on Sunday, July 6, weighing 2.13kg after just 32 weeks of gestation. The newborn is currently receiving care in an Adelaide hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. The baby is being closely monitored by his parents and a team of healthcare professionals to ensure he reaches full health. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The couple took to social media to announce Stanley's birth, sharing a touching photo of him wrapped in a soft blue knitted blanket. 'He's now in the NICU, where he'll stay until he's strong enough to come home to us and his very excited big brother, Carter,' they wrote in the heartfelt post. 'Thank you so much to our families and friends for their love and support, and to everyone who kept us in their hearts. We can't wait for you to meet our little Stanley.' Milera, 27, had previously withdrawn from the Adelaide Crows clash against Melbourne on July 6 due to personal reasons. It has now been revealed it was due to the birth of his second son. The Mileras tied the knot on November 1, 2023, after welcoming their first son, Carter, on March 30, 2021. Support has poured in from fans and teammates alike, flooding social media with well wishes and messages of encouragement, as the family navigates this challenging time. 'Congratulations, Junior, Nina and Carter,' wrote the Adelaide Football Club. The Mileras tied the knot on November 1, 2023, after welcoming their first son, Carter, on March 30, 2021 'Aaawww so gorgeous. Congratulations to you all,' one person wrote. 'Gorgeous! Get nice and strong Stanley,' a second added. Stanley's premature birth marks a poignant milestone for the Milera family. With the birth of their second son, the Adelaide Crows community is rallying behind the couple as they look forward to bringing Stanley home in the coming weeks. Milera has played as a defender for the Crows since 2016.
Independent Singapore
13-07-2025
- Health
- Independent Singapore
Singapore nurse faces close to a million dollars in medical bills after long-awaited baby is born premature at 25 weeks
SINGAPORE: A Singapore nurse and his wife have made a public appeal for help as their newborn daughter fights for survival in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the National University Hospital (NUH), after being born prematurely at just 25 weeks of gestation. Born on 26 June, baby Chelsea weighed a mere 365 grams. Her mother, Carol, described the birth as a moment of desperate hope and fear, after a pregnancy plagued by complications. 'She is now fighting for her life in the NICU, surrounded by machines, tubes, and prayers,' Carol wrote in an appeal on the platform, 'Every moment is critical. Every breath she takes is a miracle.' Carol works as a clinic secretary while her husband Ehrol has served as a staff nurse in Singapore for the past seven years. In 2023, the couple were granted Singapore Permanent Residency and earlier this year, Carol learned she was pregnant. Carol, however, ended up getting diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction and placental complications. Her pregnancy was classified as high-risk, and doctors at NUH closely monitored her condition. On 25 June, Carol began bleeding heavily and she was rushed into an emergency delivery due to severe preeclampsia and placental abruption. Chelsea arrived far too early, in critical condition. The infant cannot breathe on her own and is reliant on invasive mechanical ventilation. Diagnosed with pulmonary immaturity, respiratory distress, and pulmonary hypertension, she requires constant, high-level medical intervention, including inhaled nitric oxide therapy, parenteral nutrition, and regular blood transfusions. Doctors estimate that Chelsea will need to remain in the NICU for six to nine months. Despite both parents working in healthcare and being Permanent Residents, they are only eligible for limited medical subsidies. The projected cost of Chelsea's care is staggering: S$920,000. 'We are doing everything we can,' Carol said, 'But the cost of saving her life is beyond our means.' The couple is now turning to the public for support. With the help of they have launched a fundraiser to cover Chelsea's medical costs, starting with an initial goal of S$92,000 — just 10% of the full projected amount. 'Chelsea didn't choose to come into this world so early — but she's here, and she's fighting,' Carol wrote, 'We believe that her story isn't just one of struggle, but of hope, strength, and miracles.' The family is urging Singaporeans and members of the international community to contribute, share their story, and help keep Chelsea's care uninterrupted. They said, 'All funds raised will go directly to NUH via Every cent helps, and every share could reach someone who might help save her life.' 'Your kindness could mean everything to a tiny girl who's already braver than most adults will ever be,' Carol said. Those interested in donating or learning more can visit their fundraising page.
