Nearly six months after her miracle birth, baby Nyla finally went home this week. A huge send-off party at Silver Cross Hospital gathered dozens of elated staff, friends and family. They call themselves "Nyla Nation."
"We have so many family, friends who are so excited, and they prayed for us and took care of us, and everyone's ready to celebrate this little one, for sure," said Nakeya Haywood, the baby's mother.
Nyla Brooke Haywood is the youngest baby ever born at Silver Cross Hospital, delivered at just 22 weeks after her mother, Nakeya, was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. "It was a very scary time. I'm not going to lie. Very scary," Nakeya said.
Nyla is what is known as micro-preemie. The odds were stacked against her. With only a 10% survival rate, doctors went into the delivery room prepared for the worst.
"She cried at birth. It was a little whimper, but it was a cry. Her heart rate always remained over 100, which for us is where we wanted it to be. She came out fighting right off the bat," said Silver Cross Hospital Neonatologist Dr. Mario Sanchez.
A team of up to 15 people was dedicated to Nyla during those first minutes and days. Her eyes were still fused and her lungs were under-developed, her skin thin and translucent. And then, there was the matter of her size. At birth, Nyla weighed 1 pound and 1 ounce. Fast-forward to Monday, she's now a healthy 10 pounds.
Nyla still has some residual scarring on her lungs, so she will be sent home with oxygen and will require regular checkups to watch out for future complications that sometimes arise with micro preemies. But doctors are confident the future looks bright! Check out these heartwarming videos.
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