A baby born at one pound only finally goes home after staying in the hospital for 133 days. The micro-preemie infant fought hard because he had a small chance of survival.
At 22 weeks pregnant, Russell Appold Jr.'s mom went into labor at Tulane Lakeside Hospital in Louisiana. The newborn fought for 133 days while staying in the NICU until he was strong enough to go home. On October 1, the little fighter finally bid the hospital goodbye.
Appold Jr.'s mom, Natasha Williams, told "Good Morning America" that she does not think her baby would be alive if it were not for the medical staff and God. She explained that she cried quite a bit when they had to say goodbye because the staff were all so sweet and had become their family.
Three times pregnant without heartbeats
The mom-of-three said that she became pregnant three times before Appold Jr., but sadly, all three babies did not have heartbeats. Williams said that they were so scared when Appold Jr. was formed. She said that they did not want to get everyone's hopes up.
The doctor told the couple that Appold Jr. had a strong heartbeat. However, Williams' cervix started opening up in the 15th week of her pregnancy. She went into preterm labor on May 20. Doctors told her that her baby might not make it.
Williams shared that both she and her fiance both cried, and then they started praying. She said that her water broke on Wednesday, and she gave birth at about 10:55 on Friday. On May 22, the couple welcomed their baby. Initially, her due date was on September 22.
Humbling and powerful
Lisa Barbiero, Tulane neonatologist, said that their experience for caring for Appold Jr. was both humbling and powerful. She said that medical professionals discussed that reviving down to 22 weeks will need "parental counseling and input" since 2017.
She explained that they are competing with fetal lung embryology. She said that sometimes the lung is too immature to work on its own. More often, it will need the placenta for gas exchange. She noted that usually, babies born at less than 23 weeks would have increased chances of survival if the entire medical team gets the family's request to resuscitate the infant.
The medical staff attached breathing tubes to Appold Jr. after he was born. He had jaundice and blood in his brain, but he got over them after months. Now, Williams' newborn weighs more than eight pounds.
The hospital surprised him with a sendoff to give him a mark on his last day at the NICU. Williams created a Facebook page, "Baby Russell's Journey," to help other families. She wants women to have an avenue to talk about postpartum adjustments.
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