Micro-Preemie Baby Jari Lopez, Who Was Given a 30% Survival Rate, Celebrates First Birthday

Micro preemie Jari Lopez from New Mexico is one happy and healthy baby who recently celebrated his first birthday. But a year ago, on February 22, 2021, his parents were told that he had only a 30 percent survival rate due to his size, weight, and general condition as a premature baby.

Jari was the smallest infant at Albuquerque's Presbyterian Hospital at the time of his birth. Mom Amber Higgins Lopez delivered her son, roughly the size and weight of a loaf of bread, on the 24th week of her pregnancy.

A few weeks before Jari was born, Amber had to see a specialist because her ultrasound showed that the baby in her womb was developing smaller than normal and could be a micro-preemie. She told the show "Good Morning America" that the specialist advised her for admission to the hospital because they had to monitor the baby on the ultrasound every single day.

Amber was also experiencing concerning symptoms of preeclampsia. Thus, the specialist advised that it would be best for the mom to have an emergency C-section.

Taking it Day by Day

Julian Lopez, Jari's dad, recalled taking everything day by day after Jari came out. The baby needed to be attached to a breathing machine because his lungs were not yet developed at 24 weeks.

Dr. Jennifer Anderson, the pediatrician who took care of Jari, admitted that they were not sure the baby would survive. As a micro-preemie, they thought that they didn't have the right equipment and breathing tube that Jari's tiny size could tolerate.

However, with the help of a skilled nurse, Jari was attached to the breathing machine in time. The medical workers could also see that Jari was fighting and improving. Miraculously, the micro-preemie did not develop any major complications, and he was able to breathe on his own after six weeks.

Amber said that Anderson and her team also made sure that she and Julian were comfortable and well-attended whenever they would visit their son at the neonatal intensive care unit. Jari stayed at the NICU for 127 days, where he also underwent a double hernia repair surgery and several blood transfusions.

Three Birthday Parties for a Special Boy

Today as a one-year-old child, Jari has grown at least two feet tall and weighs 16 pounds. Amber said that her baby is quite active, feisty, and easily excited about what's around him.

Jari will need to catch up with his developmental milestones, but he's one perfect baby in his parents' eyes. His parents planned three birthday parties for their son because his life had to be celebrated in a major way.

Amber said that she wanted to share Jari's story because they saw a lot of tiny babies at their time in the hospital. A report from the University of Washington cited that micro-preemies, also known as babies with extremely low birth weight, are at risk of many health concerns from the onset. The mom wants other parents of tiny babies to know that there is always hope, and their son is proof that micro-preemie babies can overcome their condition.