Her minuscule feet poking pathetically through a doctor’s fingers, few believed that she could possibly live. Born only 21 weeks and six days after conception, Amillia Taylor weighed just under 10oz and was only 91/2 inches long.
Medical staff, however, were given a clue to her fighting spirit when the tiny scrap tried to cry and breathe on her own.
And now, four months later and weighing 4lb, she has been allowed home – the world’s most premature baby to have survived.
Her parents Sonja and Eddie, from Homestead, Florida, were visiting friends in Miami when Mrs Taylor went into labour at just over 19 weeks pregnant, having conceived by IVF.
Doctors attempted to delay the birth but eventually were forced to carry out an emergency caesarean. Dr Guillermo Lievano, who delivered Amillia, said he was not expecting her to survive.
“I was prepared for the worst and prepared to break the bad news to the mother.”
Amillia responded to treatment, however. During two months in an incubator, she even had plastic surgery after her left ear was partially torn off during the delivery.
“I’m still in amazement,” said Mrs Taylor, 37, a teacher. “I wanted her to have a chance and I knew in my heart that she was going to make it.
“It was hard to imagine she would get this far. But now she is beginning to look like a real baby. Even though she’s only 4lb now, she’s plump to me.”
William Smalling, neo-natologist at Baptist Children’s Hospital in Miami, said: “She’s truly a miracle baby. We didn’t even know what a normal blood pressure is for a baby this small.”
The American Association of Pediatrics says that babies born at less than 23 weeks of age and 400g in weight are not considered viable. The survival rate for a child born at 23 weeks and weighing a pound is just 30 per cent.
Dr Smalling said: “It may be that we need to reconsider our standard for viability in light of Amillia’s case.”
He said: “Over the years, the technology that we have available to save these premature babies has improved dramatically. Today, we can save babies that would have never survived 10 years ago.”
Amillia is going home today and we wish her parents GOOD LUCK!! Enjoy your baby without all of the bells going off, and nurses watching over you.
Amillia’s incredible story will reignite the debate over Britain’s abortion laws, which campaigners say must be updated in the light of recent medical advances.
Babies can still be aborted for non-medical reasons at up to 24 weeks. Recent evidence shows that, of those born at 25 weeks, half of them manage to live.
Can you believe that there is a doctor out there that would abort a baby at 24 weeks??? I am in SHOCK!! What a sour way to end a great story.
SOURCE:DAILYMAIL
There is a doctor in London Ontario that will do abortions up to thirty weeks…so sad that this goes on.
I really don’t know what can be done to change an abortion advocates mind. No point given seems to do any good. Maybe we should try to influence our children and just maybe one day there will be more of us then them. It is sad that the pro choice camp is so afraid of the simple truth. They are unwilling to give an inch in fear they’ll loose a mile. If only we could prevent late term abortion. I don’t understand why even scientific proof is even unable to touch these people. I believe they know full well that unborn children can feel pain and react to various stimuli they simply don’t care because to care would indicate that these are babies and they could never admit openly to that.