This holiday season, there are numerous micro-preemies who have overcome the challenges of the NICU to be with their families for Christmas. One particular baby caught my attention, and I wanted to share his remarkable story.
Meet Samuel Hugh Westcott, born at just 23 weeks gestation and weighing a mere 500 grams (slightly over a pound).
Despite being delivered by cesarean due to being in the breech position, Samuel surprised everyone by crying at birth – a rare occurrence considering his underdeveloped lungs.
Given the severity of the situation, the hospital provided Samuel’s parents, Jeff and Kelley Westcott, with a booklet of statistics and research outlining potential complications. However, they discarded it, choosing to focus on hope instead.
For the next 5 months, Samuel relied on a ventilator for 10 weeks, battling challenging conditions such as a serious blood and lung infection, as well as Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) – a life-threatening condition where digestive gasses penetrate the bowel lining.
Similar to many parents in this situation, Samuel’s mother couldn’t bring herself to officially register his birth until he was six weeks old. She feared that taking any actions might jeopardize his fragile life.
“I didn’t know if he would survive, so I didn’t want to do anything that could potentially harm him,” Mrs. Westcott shared. “It was only after ten weeks that I let my guard down, thinking we were nearing the end of the tunnel, when he fell ill.”
Even now, despite being home, Samuel still requires medical assistance and is fed through a tube every three hours. His development will be closely monitored to detect any delays promptly.
Undoubtedly, this family is simply grateful to have Samuel home, and the many follow-up appointments serve as a reminder of just how fortunate they are that he survived his early arrival.
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