Baby Brooks is a micro preemie who weighed 1lb 7.5oz when he was born and had to spend seven months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) before being discharged to go home with his parents.
The last two tests that baby Brooks had to pass were a CT scan, which would assure his medical team that he was ready to be discharged, and a car seat test, which would prove that he could handle the ride home.
Baby Preemie Passes Hospital Tests
While baby Brooks passed the CT scan, the car seat test was a bit more challenging. It involved sitting reclined and being safely secured. Before he can be discharged, he must also be able to keep his head up and his airways open for at least 90 minutes. He was also able to pass this test but ended it with cries of protest.
When the baby's primary nurse undid his car seat restraints, she carefully moved his oxygen tubes out of the way and cautiously brought baby Brooks to his mother, Amber. According to WAFB, babies born prematurely at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are required to pass the car seat test before being released for discharge.
Amber told reporters that baby Brooks was supposed to be a Halloween baby but ended up being an Independence Day baby because of his condition and his stay at the hospital. Infants who are born less than 27 weeks are considered a unique patient population with specialized needs.
Read more: Chinese Woman Who Was Told She Was Infertile Gives Birth Hours After Finding Out She Is Pregnant
Special Needs of Infants Born Prematurely
Steven McElroy, chief neonatologist at UC Davis Children's Hospital, said that babies born at 22 to 24 weeks are especially vulnerable. According to UC Davis Health, the hospital announced in June 2024 a new small baby unit that would provide dedicated, coordinated care for these patients in one space.
Amber and Dustin's situation was special as baby Brooks was born when his mother was only pregnant with him for 16 weeks, which was barely past her first trimester. Additionally, Brooks was a twin and had a brother named Beckett, who was delivered via C-section after his mother was brought to the hospital.
Unfortunately for the couple, doctors said that Beckett did not continue developing after 16 weeks and was not able to stay alive. Amber said that the doctors did everything they could to try and save his son but were only able to help him live for about two hours, which he spent with his parents.
The survival of infants born prematurely depends on a lot of factors, but one of the biggest is where the baby is born. Low-income countries have a higher death rate of children born preterm as they usually lack the necessary funds to provide basic medical services during and after a mother's pregnancy, according to Doctors Without Borders.
