Most Premature Baby Heads Home

Amillia Taylor, who was born after less than 22 weeks in gestation, is heading home after four months in Miami's Baptist Children's Hospital.

The tiny baby is believed to be the most premature baby to survive, setting a world record according to the University of Iowa which tracks premature births around the globe.

Born October 24, 2006, Amillia was only 9.5 inches long and weighed only 10 ounces, 4 ounces under the weight at which doctors consider premature infants to have no chance of survival.

During her four month hospital stay, Amillia experienced respiratory problems, a mild brain hemorrhage and digestive problems. She was monitored around the clock in the hospital's neo-natal intensive care unit.

Because Amillia was in an incubator with IV's, her parents were not able to hold her until more than six weeks after she was born.

Initially, Amillia's doctors offered little hope for her development but today they are calling her a miracle baby.

Dr. William Smalling, a neo-natal expert at the Baptist Children's Hospital, told the BBC "We weren't too optimistic. But she proved us all wrong."

Amillia weighs just 4lb 6oz as doctors prepare to send her home from the hospital, a weight which her mother calls "plump" in comparison to four months prior. She will need to be continually monitored at home and will need asthma medication and supplemental oxygen. Premature babies often need oxygen since their lungs have not fully developed.

Amillia's mother, Sonja Taylor, told the BBC "it was hard to imagine she would get this far. But now she is beginning to look like a real baby."

While Amillia is thought to be the most premature baby, even at her mere 10 ounce birth weight she is not the tiniest baby to survive. This record is believed to be held by Rumaisa Rahman, born the smaller of two twins at just 8.6 ounces. Rumaisa was born on September 19, 2004, at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago after just 25 weeks and six days of gestation.

Amillia's survival reflects recent advances in neo-natal care. In part, these advances are in reaction to the rising number of preterm births in the US each year. According to the March of Dimes, prematurity is a common, serious problem in America that is on the rise. The organization aims for more research into the underlying causes of preterm birth and wants to prevent prematurity from occurring in the first place.

As Amillia leaves the hospital today, her future is uncertain but her doctor's are giving her an excellent prognosis.

So far in her tiny life she has lived up to her name, which means resilient in Latin.

Sources:

"Most premature baby set for home" BBC News, February 20, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6377639.stm

March of Dimes website www.marchofdimes.com/